Children of the Seam
by E.W.S. Miami
Summary: Book Six - Final book of my own point of view of Peeta Mellark life with Katniss Everdeen. This takes place immediately after Deep in the Meadow end. At the end of this book, it will bring us back to the Epilogue of Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay. Like always thank you for reading, and reviews are always welcomed.
1. Chapter 1

Introduction

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the my own continuation of the Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games. Excerpt from Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay Epilogue.

_They play in the Meadow. The dancing girl with the dark hair and blue eyes. The boy with blond curls and gray eyes, struggling to keep up with her on his chubby toddler legs. It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly. When I first felt her stirring inside of me, I was consumed with a terror that felt as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could tame it. Carrying him was a little easier, but not much._

_The questions are just beginning. The arenas have been completely destroyed, the memorials built, there are no more Hunger Games_

The whole idea of this book is to introduce the children of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. From the Epilogue we see that the first child was a girl. In this book, Katniss is almost two months pregnant. They have just survived the 74th Hunger Games arena being destroyed, only to find out that the Games are not over. The Games have just begun. Thank you again for reading and now without further delay.

* * *

__Part I

"The Shadows"

Chapter One

_November 14, Year 92_

_My Dearest Lilly,_

_I must have spent hours here in the kitchen table trying to figure out how to start this letter. The erased portions of the beginning were excessive and well sorry about that. With your mom and I going into the Arena tomorrow, there is a lot that I want you to know should I not get the chance to do so. First know that I love you more than my life, always remember that. That everything that I did in this life, I did it for you and your mother. _

_Keep your head up high and always do what you believe in your heart is right. Smile as much as you can, and laugh at the silliest of things. Never let the sadness of life keep you down, always seek after the rainbows in life. I need you believe in the good of people, even if you cannot see it. Believe that love exist, and true love as rare as those in dreams do really happen. Where else can my love for you and your mother be, than in a dream? You are my greatest accomplishment and I know whatever you do in life, know this very simple truth. That I am proud of you, and that I love you._

_My only desire is that I get to see you for the first time in a couple of months, but if I don't, I know that you will be a wonderful person. You desire everything in life, all the happiness, and all your dreams coming true. _

_Listen and take care of your mother, she loves you even if she cannot show you how. _

_Your Father_

_Peeta Mellark_

* * *

It has been six days since I wrote that letter on the kitchen table of our old house in the Victor's Village. It was the day before we left to go into the arena on a mission for the New Capitol government. I couldn't sleep myself that night so I just got up and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a paper and pencil I just started to write to Katniss, Lilly, and Thomas.

After losing Katniss's mother in the arena, we had decided to hike back to the District since it was only about a week hike. We had been walking for so long, and the food was so scarce that I didn't know if I would make it. Most of the time I would give her my food and well the letters were stuffed in my jacket pocket.

We were in high spirits when we finally made it. Where we finally saw the outskirts of the district, it brought a new found sense of hope. Making it back to our house in the woods by the lake, the smiles were on both of our faces. We were finally home, finally in our own home. Now in our house everything happens so quickly, and yet time is not even moving. Sounds just disappear and I feel that I have become deaf. I see her eyes of terror, and a fury that I don't think I had ever seen.

She smacks the vase and I see it hit and shattered into a million pieces. The flower just lies there surrounded by the shards of glass. It feels almost like our lives now, shattered by a single image, a single realization, that someone has violated our home with the nightmare of President Snow.

She told me the story, it took forever to get it out of her she didn't want to, and she kept it hidden away for so long that it angered her that I wanted to know. It was in the beginning of the war. She had just gone to District Twelve to see the destruction and finally in our house in the Victor's Village, in the library on a wooden table was a single white rose staring at her.

'It was there,' she says over and over. 'The flower, the stench, the thought that he was here was enough to make me run.'

Now in our house, there again is the rose staring at us in the face. The stench of the flower filled the place, and the memory of that man is now as fresh as the snow that is still falling outside. My first thought, my first concern is her. I see here there pacing and I don't know what to do. Walking over there she looks up at me, and I see the same anger, the same terror in her eyes, when she told me about the first white rose.

"How? Who?" she says. "How did they get in?"

The question of how is easy to answer. The house itself does not have any electrical security so therefore the doors are locked by old fashion door knob locks. The only security that we have is the fence, and that was placed for animals. The fence is not that high and there is no razor wire on the top.

There are many questions in my mind. Who would come in here and do this, and know that it was done before. Katniss mentioned that she told no one but me about the rose. The only other person that would know would be the people who placed the rose in our house in the Victor's Village.

President Snow is dead. I saw his body there hanging on the post still handcuffed when they trampled him. Even if he was by some miracle still alive, this was almost twenty years ago, he would be too old to even be alive or a threat, it has to be someone else. Someone in his inner circle that knew about this, they have to have planned this.

The more pressing question, how did they know we survived the arena? I start to look around the room, trying to find any sort of surveillance. I place my hand on her shoulder. She turns around and sees that my face has been quieted.

"Come on," I say. "Let's get you some air."

Her eyes widen and I know that she realizes what I am inkling. Her face is straight forward, expressionless.

I grab the door knob and open the door to the outside. Once we are outside I continue to walk her towards the lake. Finally at the edge of the water, I lean in and whisper.

"We have to be careful," I say. "Until we can make sure that there is no video or audio surveillance in the house. Someone had to know that we survived the explosion in the arena."

"Who do you think?" she says.

"No idea could be someone who knew Snow or part of his inner circle," I say. "But this much is true, we have to make a trip into the District to see what is going on, if anything."

She walks back to the porch and sits on the bench. She watches me as I walk over to the tool shed that we built just for an occasion as this. Opening the door, you find all the normal tools that you would find there. That is to the one who is not looking for what I am.

I go through the drawers trying to remember where I put that thing. Moving around the nails and the hammers, the screw drivers, and the tape measure, I find it in the back of the drawer.

"Ah hah," I say. "Was looking for you."

It is a little metallic thing that I had asked Beetee to make for us. It was after the wedding, before Katniss found out that it was his bombs that were the ones who killed Prim that day. Prim. The thought of her, and I cannot help but stop and close my eyes.

Walking outside, I place she looks at me as to see if I had found it. I nod my head yes and she stands to meet me halfway

"Does it still work?" she asks.

"Beetee told me that it would work for forty years," I say. "More than enough time no?"

I grab her hand and transfer the small little device to her hand. She feels around it with her hands and then finally opens her palm to see the metallic device. The top of which has a large round button that would turn on the device.

We walk back to the house and up to the porch. I stomp on my feet on the porch, masking the sound of Katniss turning on the device. The thing starts to glow and finally is a steady white light.

Opening the door she starts to walk in slowly as we were instructed before. She goes to the kitchen while I go to the bedroom with the packs. No reason not to get everything out of the bags. I unzip my jacket and quickly place the letters in my nightstand. The old clothes that we have, I actually leave it in the old bag.

"Think there is no hope for those clothes," I say. "Think I might have to burn them."

That is it. My pack is empty. All the medicine that we had received from Katniss's mother I placed it in her pack. I sit on the bed and finally undo the laces on my boots. Removing them from my feet, I let out of relief. Never had I wish to run around barefoot as I do right now.

She finally walks in, and gives me the all clear sign.

"How many did you find?" I ask her.

She opens her hands and shows me one.

"Any markings?" I ask.

She nods no.

"Audio only though," she placing it on the ground and stomping on it making sure that they know that we found it.

"Well if you didn't know we were here, they know now," I say.

She sits down on the edge of the bed right next to me. It appears that she is still in a state of shock and hasn't really let herself think about what is happening. I kneel next in front of her and undo her boots. Slipping them off her feet, I feel the warmness of her feet. Looking up she is just there looking at me. Her hand reaches down for mines. I meet it halfway she helps me up onto the bed.

"How are you?" she asks.

"I am okay," I say. "I should be asking you, how you are."  
She shrugs.

"Nothing really surprises me anymore," she says. "My main concern is you and her."

I look at her confused.

"Her?" I say.

She smiles.

"I don't know why, but I just feel that it is a her," she says as she places my hand on her stomach.

"Lilly?" I say close to her belly.

"Feels like," she responds.

I lift my eyes to meet her and just smiles at me.

"Don't worry," I say. "If you are feeling up to it, we will go into the district."

She nods no.

"Tomorrow," she says. "We both need a rest."

She unzips her jacket and slips it on the ground next to mines. I stand and go to the closet getting the sheets and blankets for the bed. I hand it to her, and she asks me if I could make her something to eat. I say of course I would and walk over to the kitchen.

There isn't anything edible in the kitchen, the only thing we have is nuts and dried fruits. We would have to make a run for the wood for the stove as well as supplies for food.

Walking back to the room with the plate filled with nuts and dried fruits, she smiles before seeing what is on the plate.

"Sorry," I say. "Only thing we have right now."

"It's okay," she says accepting the plate.

We both lie back and just stare at the ceiling. The sunlight already disappearing, we would soon enough have to get the candles and lanterns. Good thing we still have the lanterns they gave us for the arena.

We were supposed to have gone to get supplies that day that we got back into the District. She turns over and pushes herself on one elbow. Grabbing a piece of dried fruit she places it near my mouth.

"No," I say. "You eat. You need to keep up your strength."

"Still trying to save me," she says.

I nod.

"It is what we do," I say.

She grabs my hand and interlaces her fingers with mines. Our rings just clink and we both know that it is what we wrote there that matters. On our ring together we have become each others reason for living.


	2. Chapter 2

__Chapter Two

* * *

_November 14, Year 92_

_My Dearest Thomas,_

_It is to you my son, that my desire is that you know how loved you are by both your mother and me. The only memories that I have that I treasure when I was young, is when I was with my father. I had always wished that you could have met him. He is what I desired to be when I became a father._

_Always believe in the innocence that you can reach for the stars and actually grab one. Never let anyone tell you differently. Live in the clouds, and never stop dreaming that you could find the one who makes your heart stop and start at the same time, believe me, it can happen, it happened for me. Your mother is the one that I dreamt about when I didn't even know what dreams where. The fact that I had a life with her let me believe that dreams are real things if you could only believe. _

_Thomas believe in the sunsets and sunrises, that they are beautiful kisses between the land and the sun. Believe in the stars that it everyone who loves you watching over you. Believe in that the air is crisper when it is free. Never let them take that from you. Always believe in the good in people, even when all you see is darkness. _

_Remember my beautiful boy that you are like the roots of a tree. It isn't what you can see that matters, but what is beneath the ground. You are special, to both your mother and to me. I only wish that I had the chance to watch you grow up into the man that you are destined to be. _

_Look up at the stars and know that I am watching you from there._

_Your Father,_

_Peeta Mellark_

* * *

We don't care anymore what they can do to us. We actually welcome it. Come into our home again and see how far you get to the door. She smiles and I can tell she is calm. It isn't a mask, she is actually calm.

"Did we?" I start to say.

"Yes," she says.

"The whole night?" I say.

"Hmm hmm," she says. "Haven't done that since, well two weeks is it?"

It has been two weeks, since we were brought into this nightmare. It has been two weeks since we were almost killed, not once, but twice. The most that either of us has slept is probably three to four hours. When we lost Katniss's mother, it was a lot less time, probably only twenty minutes or so, before the nightmares would wake us both up.

She leans in and kisses me. Her bottom lip soft and moist lightly touches mines almost as if she did it too hard they would break. She pulls on my lower lip playfully, before she makes a giggle sound.

"Oh I am sorry," I say as I move my hand from her ribs.

"To this day I still have twelve ribs," she says laughing.

"Oh okay, just wanted to make sure," I say laughing. Before going in and tickling her again.

She lets out a burst of laughter and I know that although it is because I am tickling her, it is a good thing to laugh. We have seen so much death, so much hardship, that even a smile was forced.

"Peeta!" she finally lets out and I have to stop.

She finally looks at me with this upset but not really look. She hates it when I tickle her, but she doesn't stop me from doing it. She stands on the bed with her hands on her waist.

"What did I tell you about tickling me?" she says.

I shrug as if I don't know.

"Oh so you don't know?" she says grabbing a pillow.

She always talks a good talk but she has never hit me with a pillow.

That is what I was thinking to myself as I got bombarded by the pillows over my head. I have to cover my head and roll over to the ground to get away. As I roll onto the floor I grab my pillow and then stand.

"Now you are going to get it," I say playfully.

She nods her head no and then points down towards her belly.

That is when it hits me.

"That is right," she says. "No more tickles, no more carrying me over your shoulder, no more raspberries on my belly."

I give her a look.

She smiles.

"Should we go?" I say.

She nods.

"Okay," I say. "I will heat up some water for the shower."

She grabs my hand though on the way out. I turn and she kisses me on the nose.

"Thank you, Mr. Mellark," she says.

"Your welcome, Mrs. Mellark," I say walking out to the kitchen. I rub my arms as I pass by the living room. My mind had forgotten of the winter outside. I pick up the pace and finally make it to the kitchen where I open the cupboard to the left and get out the large metal tin pot with the markings on it.

One marking for one bath, two marking for two baths, we had calculated it a while back to know exactly how much to put in there. I turn on the water and the water begins to pour into the pot.

Once it makes it to the second marking I turn off the water and place it on the stove.

"Darn," I say out loud. "That is right; we do not have any dry wood."

I walk out to the fireplace hoping to find something that I can heat. I see that there might be one log there. I open the screen and then finally grab it.

"Yes," I say. "One dry log."

I walk over to the stove and place the log there. On top of the table I see the matches. I walk over to it and grab it, striking the matches and heating up the water. After a couple of minutes I test the water and find that it is just right.

Walking towards the bathroom I find her there sitting in her rob on the toilet seat waiting for me. I place the pot into the device that tilts the warm water. Finally turning my head she just stands there looking.

"Your warm shower awaits," I say with a snooty accent. I bow sticking out my hand out, she snickers and accepts the hand. Helping her up she places her hand on my cheek.

"Hey mountain man," she says rubbing my full on beard. "You haven't seen my husband around have you?"

I look at her there laughing because of my bread. I rub fingers through it and know that it has been some time before I have shaved.

"I think I saw him somewhere around here," I say.

She walks into the shower and close the blinds. I start to hear the splashing noise of the water. Then I hear her let out a deep sigh and I know that she has missed the fact of warm showers.

Walking out to our room, I see that Katniss has already made our packs and the bed. There isn't really that much in the packs, just a change of clothes, some of the left over dried fruits and finally our survival knives. In the district we know that we can't bring in our bows so all we can bring is something that we can hide.

She comes into the room and I am just in awe of her.

"How do you do it?" I say.

She lifts one eyebrow a little confused.

"Even in a towel you look beautiful," I say.

She just blushes and then finally tells me that we have to hurry to make it to the district before anyone gets up. The fact is that I did forget about the whole going into the district. She still doesn't know the effect she has on people. How they can be so engrossed in her world that you totally forget where you are.

"I still can remember that day," I say. "The day of the opening games."

I walk over to her and see the wet hair and the shy smile.

"I was so nervous that day," I say. "But when I held your hand, it was everything was okay, I don't know how you do it. All those days I spent being tortured all I had to do was think of you and I knew that everything was okay. You were what kept me going, even now in the snow."

She kept me going, she kept me believing even if I had lost faith in myself. It was the third day into our hike to District Twelve. The food that we were trying to save or stretch had finally had been unsafe to eat. Looking at the meat it looked spoiled and the smell was something that would turn the stomach.

It was getting later and later in the day before she would get up. The night before when Katniss went to sleep, I finally allowed myself to think we may not make it. The moon was out that night and I could easily see the three envelopes. The first one labeled to her. My fingers trace the letters of her name. The fact that I may not get to see her again, but I know she will survive.

The following morning, I saw that she was too weak to get up, so all I could do is get up and go hunting. I try to write her a note but find that my mind is cloudy and my hands are unresponsive. After warming them up by blowing hit air into them the only thing that my mind could come up with was "gone hunting, love you."

I make up my mind that I have to come home with something, that I cannot fail, not today, she is depending on it.

I notch the arrow in the bow and start the walk to find something, anything. The white barren wasteland that would be filled with game is my opponent, it is my tribute.

Walking through the trees, for the first hour, I find absolutely nothing. There is no sound, not tracks, nothing but white snow. If we could have some certainty that someone is coming to save us then we would just sit tight and wait, but no one is coming. We knew that the closer we got to the mountain the less food options we would have.

I turn and look at the base of the mountain. If there is going to be any food it will be up there. I have wasted enough time trying to find food down here. The terrain is a lot worse than the forest. Well the artificial leg doesn't help at all, but no other choice.

It is only a half hour before I find some tracks. It is fresh and heading up the mountain. The only animal that I know that heads up a mountain is a goat. Not exactly the softest meat but anything is better than starving.

I pick up pace and see that the rocks of the mountains is loose down here. The fact that I just realized as the ground gave way and I am on my knees. Lifting the bow before my hands hit the ground, my right hand take the brunt of the fall.

"Okay that is going to leave a mark," I say out loud.

That is when I see it. A mountain goat there standing completely still. If I had not tripped and fell then I would have never had saw it. The eyes focus on mines and there it is. The only thing that would keep us both alive, and from the stare I know that it will not go down without a fight.

I move to a kneel position and lift up the bow. The goat all of the sudden makes a break for it going down the mountain. That is when I pull back the arrow and line up the shot.

"Aim for the belly," I say to myself.

I have to aim straight, she is counting on it. The arrow flies through the air and finally it hits it as it tries to flee. Thinking about her, and I knew that I could do this, that I could provide for her.


	3. Chapter 3

__Chapter Three

* * *

_November 14, Year 92_

_Katniss,_

_I know that it is probably taking so long to open this letter. If you are finally reading it, it is because of the same reason why I wrote it. I miss you too. I know that the pain is unbearable. It is the same way I felt those nights in the darkness of the Capitol. It was in my thoughts of you, that I found you. You help me get through the hardest moments in my life, even when you weren't there. _

_I will forever be a part of your heart, just like you were always a part of mines. I know that I cannot tell you to be strong, because I know that you will be. Just sitting here in our table and all I can do is miss you. You are only a couple of feet away up the stairs sleeping in our room, but I know that if you are reading this, then I am not there, and you are not upstairs. That thought simply breaks my heart. I hope that you never get to read this letter. My dream is that we grow old until all of this is all but a distant memory that neither of us can remember. _

_That we can still be like we were back on the roof top of the Training Center in our little garden waiting the day just there talking. I can still remember what I said back then. It is the truth today as I write this, and in the future when you read it. _

_I wish I could freeze this moment, and live in it forever._

_When you said yes, it was like I was forever living in that moment. Until the day that my last breath gave out, all I could do is live in this moment. Thank you, for loving me, thank you for giving me the opportunity to love you. You gave me this, you showed me what it was to love, and to be loved by someone. It is the one thing that I wish I would never have to do, is to say goodbye._

_I will always love you._

_Peeta_

* * *

Her hand feels soft on my cheek as she looks at me. Her loving eyes just stare into mines, and I know that she loves me. She tells me to wait in the bathroom while she changes. Walking over to the bathroom I just stand there looking out of the window. The calmness of the snow, is somewhat relaxing and yet I know that if we hadn't made it to the house yesterday, that we would have died.

A soft tap on the shoulder and I know that she is behind me. I turn around and she has me sit down while she grabs something from the medicine cabinet. Handing me a towel she sits right in front of me with a razor and some shave crème.

"Think he is behind this beard," she says smiling.

I smile and lift my chin while she places some shave crème on my neck and then on my cheeks and around my nose. The crème causes me to sneeze and their I see her frozen there with some of the shave crème on her face.

"Sorry," I say chuckling. I grab the edge of my towel and clean it off her face. Kissing her cheek and placing more shave crème on it.

She laughs wiping it off with her sleeve and then shows me the blade, which causes my smile to quickly change.

"Okay, okay," I say. "Truce?"

She nods and then she grabs my chin lowering my gaze. Closing my eyes, I feel her soft hands and the blade slowly cut away the hairs from my cheeks. I can hear the blade cut along the surface and her wiping off the shave crème on the towel.

She closes my eyes with her other hand.

"Just listen to my voice," she says.

I start to hear her hum a little song. It takes a couple of minutes before she finishes the face and finally works on the neck area. The time just seems to fall away with her just singing as she slowly shaves every hair on my beard.

At the end she taps my cheek.

"Done," she says.

I open my eyes and see that she is a couple of inches from me. She smiles which causes me to blush. She inches closer and I can see that she is waiting for me to be the instigator.

I slowly pass my lips on hers. Inching just a bare touch, which causes her to close her eyes. That is only to find out that I pull away.

"The hell with it," she says and kisses me.

It is only a couple of seconds, but any seconds that I can have a kiss from her I treasure it.

"So are we leaving anytime soon?" she says. "I am a little bit hungry."

"I love it, that your appetite is so unpredictable," I say. "Sometimes you don't want anything but sweets, and other times you can eat the plate that I give you."

"Don't blame me, I don't know why, but this little one is has an appetite that I still can't understand," she says.

I tell her that we will go in a couple of minutes, after I take a quick shower and change. She nods and walks out, telling me that she is going to get everything set up here.

Finally after a couple minutes getting ready I find that she had already open the back door through the kitchen. Walking outside I find the same crunchy sound of the snow. It is almost as if we are still fighting to survive. I see here there in the off distance her pack on the ground and her arms crossed looking out towards the direction of the arena.

I walk behind her and she turns grabbing her pack and placing it on her shoulder. She wipes away what I could tell is a tear from her eyes, and I know that she is thinking about her mother.

"You okay," I ask.

"I will be," she says. "It still hurts."

I place my arms around her and I know that she has gone through the worst part of it, which is admitting that she is gone. The thing that helps a lot with the longing of missing someone, is that we find a happy memory to remember.

"Takes time," I say. "I am here for you in the meantime."

She smiles almost as if saying thank you. Finally we walk towards the door of the fence and finally push open into the woods that just yesterday we escaped from.

"Can't go to the Victor's Village," she says.

The time must be around ten or so in the morning. Everyone is definitely going to be out and about in the district, so as we walk back through the forest we think about who to approach.

"Anyone from the team, would have been told that we are dead," she say. "So they would probably be watched."

It is true that anyone that knows the truth about the mission would be watched by the Capitol.

"Delly," I say. "They wouldn't be watching her."

She nods and we change our hike from the Victor's village which is a longer hike to one that is closer through the up climb slope to the fence at the Meadow. Finally stopping right before the fence. We stay there looking inside. It looks quiet and almost like nothing ever happened.

Delly Cartwright, my closet friend from school now lives in the Seam. She says that she likes the new development of housing down there. She decided to stay in District Twelve, although many government officials and local district governments wanted her for her public relations experience. She told me once, that she never considered leaving because District Twelve was her home.

Putting away our bows in the normal place, we walk through the hole in the fence. Placing our collars up we walk at a normal pace with our head down. Once we make it to the first cross street we turn and quickly dash to the alley. There we jog at a quick pace until we reach the next main cross streets. Coming to the corner of the brick house we both peer around the corners and find that the street is deserted but an older woman walking in the snow with a pale of water that she must have gotten from the nearby well.

She walks over to me and with her back to the street we pretend as if we are talking in the alley. The old woman walks slowly by us and continues up the street.

She looks at me and smirks, before giving me a quick peck on the lips.

"Have to keep up with the fact that we are making out in the alley," she says.

"Oh." I say. "I thought we were trying to show that we were just talking."

She nudges me to continue leading as she doesn't remember how to get to Delly's house. We look again around the corner and when the old lady is far enough we walk quickly across the street to another alley and then through what I believe is a garden although the snow really just shows me a square in between homes.

Once through the little garden, we go around the corner and there a couple of feet away we see a small little blue house. The whole house is blue, although the white trim helps to offset the house, it definitely stands out. I remember I asked her that day that we were painting the house, why blue.

"Because it reminds me of the sky," she says laughing. "So even if it is raining or grayish sky, you can look at my house and imagine the blue sky."

Even in painting a house Delly can always try to cheer you up. The white snow on the roof of the porch makes it seem like it is a huge cupcake with the white frosting. That is when I hear her stomach make a grumbling sound. I turn back and see that she is blushing for the fact that her stomach just gave away her position. All I can do is smile and turn to look for movement.

We wait a couple of minutes to see if we see anyone in the house. Then we see Delly walking through the living room with a cup of coffee. It seems that she is walking towards the porch. We make our way from view and wait to hear the door click.

I hear the door open and then close. If I know Delly and I'd like to think that I do, she will chose to sit down on the bench and watch the day for a couple of minutes. That is what we would do back when we were kids.

"Come on," I say lowly.

We walk out in the open up the road, slowly. Our heads down enough that you can only see half of our face if you are passing by. Our scarves cover our mouth so really the only thing that could give us away would be the burn marks on our faces. Even Katniss had to leave her hair loose so that the braid didn't give her away.

Once we make it to the front of her house. I see that she is sitting down and looking at us.

"Excuse us, but do you have the time?" I say.

She looks for her watch and finally says.

"Why it is ten in the morning," she says.

"It is a nice day to be outside," I say and then give her the clue that we both know. "I surely do love to be outside, even if it is just to…"

"Look at beautiful things," she finishes before she stands and invites us casually in for coffee.

"Why we would love some," Katniss say turning back from the street as we make it inside the door.

Finally after the click of the door. We look up and see that Delly is placing her finger on her mouth. She walks over to the windows and says out loud.

"Too much light," she says. "Better if we close the blinds so that we can see each other."

She closes the blinds and then finally she embraces Katniss.

"I'd never believed it," she says over and over.

She grabs my hand.

"Know that I never believed it," she says.

"Delly," I say. "Believed what?"

She grabs us and sits us down on the sofa before she hands us the paper. There in the headlines of the paper it reads.

"Katniss and Peeta Mellark still unaccounted for. Inquiry on the deaths of soldiers points towards their disappearance."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Looking at her read the newspaper so intently I can only image what they are saying. Finally placing it calmly on the coffee table she looks up. It seems that the Capitol is calling it a training exercise that went wrong. They are still looking for survivors but that they fear that no one survived.

"No one survived," she repeats as she sits down there looking at the paper.

I turn and look at Delly. She looks at me unsure of why this is affecting her so much.

"Katniss's mother was with us," I say lowly.

Her mouth opens and she places her hand there holding the emotions that we all had to go through.

She sits down right next to Katniss. She hold her hand and Katniss's realizes that although Delly was always my friend, through the years she had become her friend as well. This is exactly what Katniss needs right now. It a stronger support system to help her realize that she isn't alone.

"Would you like something to drink or eat?" she asks her.

"Delly," I say interrupting.

She looks up.

"We have been hiking from the site for a week and just got in yesterday. What we really want is some answers really," I say.

"Okay," she says. "But let me get you something to eat."

We do not say no, and allow her to go into the kitchen and come out with a hearty breakfast for both of us. I can see by the way that Katniss has to control herself that she was hungry. I had to pretend that I was stuff in order to get her some of the food from my plate.

"It is okay," I say to Delly. "I am full."

She of course doesn't believe me and goes and grabs some more of the food that she was saving. The winters make it hard for everyone here in District Twelve to get enough food. The transport trains have a hard time getting through the snow with the supplies. There were always times during the winters where it was nearly impossible to get the bare essentials. Many people prepare for this by storing what they could, that wouldn't go spoiled.

I hand her a small bag full with money.

"Please take this," I say.

She of course refuses, saying something that it is insulting when she cannot help family. She then has a bright idea and turns and accepts the money.

"I know what I will do," she says. "Since I know you cannot simply go into the market and get supplies and food, I will use the money to get it for you. Deal?"

It is a good idea and one that we couldn't do without the help of another.

"Only if you do us a favor," says Katniss.

She turns and looks at Katniss.

"For you guys, I would do anything," she says.

She grabs her hands and then looks at me. I know exactly what she is going to say, and for me I am totally for it.

"Up to you," I say. "You know how I feel."

Delly looks at me and laugh.

"What?" she says.

"Well, we would love it if you could be the Aunt of our family," she says.

She looks to her unsure, and then looks down to her stomach. Her mouth immediately opens and she looks at me upset.

"You mean?" she says.

"Yes," I say.

Her smile is as big as the day that she met me in school. She went around introducing herself to everyone. Of course no one really got why Delly was so nice to everyone and honestly she doesn't really care. She came up to me that day, tapping me on the shoulder in a cheerful manner.

"Hello, and good morning, my name is Delly Cartwright, and I wanted to wish you a good morning and of course welcome to a bright and sunny school day," says Delly.

I turn and look up to see a girl with bright blonde hair standing there with a wide smile on her face.

"How did you get all that out without having to breathe?" I say smiling.

She smiles.

"One word, practice," she says laughing.

She sits down next to me, and that was all that we needed to become friends. Everyday after that, she would sit next to me and we got to know each other.

Now she is like family. No correction, she is family. We learned a long time that family has really nothing to do with blood line, but has to do with the people who love you.

She comes to us and embraces us, before the smile quickly turns to worry.

"Well, I have to get going," she says. "Quick write down what you need and I will get it."

Delly hands Katniss a paper and a pencil. She moves over to the table and starts to write down what she believes we need. After a couple of minutes she leaves the house and tells us to not open the door for anyone but her.

We sit there in the kitchen away from the windows even though the blinds are drawn. She sits there worried and looking outside the blinds every five minutes.

"Hey," I say.

She looks at me.

"Come here," I say.

She walks over to me. Finally she sits next to me and places her head on my chest. Ever since we got into the District, it is like we have gone back into the hands of the Capitol. It was never like this in our district, not until the arena burned to the ground.

"You know," she starts. "You never did finish that story."

I look down and see that she is looking up at me.

"Which one?" I say.

"The one about the princess and the ball," she says.

"Oh that is right, you fell asleep right in the middle of my story," I say.

"Sorry," she says.

"It is okay," I say. "I never got to the best part."

She looks at me.

"Well it turns out that the princess who thought had no one, no family no friend, actually had someone who was always looking out for her," I say. "She came that day of the grande ball, with a dress and a horse drawn carriage to go to the ball."

She sighs and continues to look ahead. I can feel her hand on mines and it is warm to the touch. She feels safe and although we still do not know what is going on, we are safe right now.

"So she went?" she asks interested. She is now caressing my hand and her voice had turned shyly almost like she is a little child wondering what happened next.

"Sort of," I say. "The story goes on to say that she went to the ball, but as she going up the steps of the castle she loses a shoe."

She lets out a laugh.

"How does someone lose a shoe?" she says.

"I don't know," I say. "But that is how the story went."

"Okay, okay," she says allowing me to continue to tell the story.

"Well you can imagine her embarrassment, at a fancy party, with one shoe," I say. "So she did what any normal person might."

"What's that?" she says. "Go looking for the other one?"

I nod my head.

"No," I say. "She takes the other one off, and is no completely barefoot."

She gets up from my chest and looks at me.

"Seriously, Peeta, I think you are making it up as you go along," she says.

Looking at her just there trying to get the correct story. Thing is about my memory, I can remember things but like a story, my memories are all jumbled up so things sometimes are out of place. It could be that I could forget about something here and there, but not about this. It was the first story that Doctor Aurelius told me to read, and that it would explain a lot.

"Katniss, I am serious, she was there barefoot," I say. "She didn't care about what the other people saw her as. They had already considered her to be non-deserving to be there. But here is the thing, the prince, saw all the beautiful women there and chose her to be his wife. Want to know why?"

"Because of her pretty feet?" she says jokingly.

"No, silly," I say. "Because he saw that she didn't care what others thought of her. That she wasn't going to let something as little as shoes stop her from meeting her prince."

She smiles and tells me that the story although unrealistic always seems to have a double meaning when it comes from Doctor Aurelius.

"Well he told me that the story shows people who are suffering from the opinions of others, that it could get in their way of what they want most in life," I say. "Helped me realized how I was going to bring you back."

She grabs my hand again and knows that this story meant a lot to me.

"And how did you do that?" she says.

"By taking off my other shoe," I say. "Well I only have one foot in any case."

She leans in and kisses me.

"The flowers," she says almost as remembering something sweet. "You planted Primroses with dandelions."

"Only way I could get to you," I say.

She lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I only wish I knew what was going on, outside," she says moving towards a window. She slowly moves the blinds just a little bit and peeks outside. I walk back into the kitchen and peek out of the blinds there.

If I remember correctly, through this door here, is a little garden that is connected with three other houses and then it crosses into a park. It is a community park with the other homes of the development.

The institute outer boundaries are there. We would have cover and could easily get lost in a crowd. Throughout the years we never forgot to keep ourselves ready for anything. We always play a game on how many exits, and which way would be the quickest route if we needed to escape. It isn't that we are paranoid, but it is more that it is a automatic response to an environment that we may not be aware of.

I hear her walk into the kitchen.

"So," she says.

"Rear exit is the best way," I say. "Clear shot to the park over on Riverton, and then onto the grounds of the Institute."

She laughs and tells me that she was talking about telling Delly about the baby.

"Oh," I say. "Well we always wanted to tell as less people as possible. Your mom, and Doctor Aurelius were the only ones that knew. It is good to have another person in our family. At least we know that she can babysit."

There is a click and we both move to out of sight. All of the sudden through the reflection of the picture I can see that it is Delly coming back with bags of supplies. We wait until she closes the door and lock it.

"Peeta," she says. "Katniss?"

We come out of the shadows. She of course not use to it, almost lets out a yell of surprise. She drops the supplies on the ground.

"Guys, don't do that," she says. "There are no more soldiers on the streets or people coming after you."

We walk over to the supplies and know that her statement is not really accurate. There was someone who turned on the switch back in the arena. There was someone who wanted us dead. Who wasn't suspecting that we would make out, and probably even followed us back home. There was someone who placed a white rose therein our home.

There is definitely someone after us. It is time to see if we cannot get ahead of it, and find out who.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

We all sit there at the kitchen table trying to figure out what our next move is. It is good thing to have the supplies that we were looking for. Things that we can use to disappear into the wood until the spring time. We could just easily continue coming and going like this using Delly as our person to get supplies.

There is something thought about having to hide in the shadows of your own district. It isn't much but people here have come to trust us, and to now lose that is something that I simply cannot allow.

"We need to talk to Haymitch," I say. "Although it doesn't look it, he would know what is going on, or at least find out what is."

I grab a paper and write a note to him. It is a simple sentence that should get him to come to where we are requesting. I fold it and give it Delly.

"One more favor and I swear Delly, we will be on our way," I say.

"Nonsense," she says. "You are acting like I don't want to do this. You forget, that I am part of the family, and family help each other."

She reads it , and looks at it.

"Don't worry, he will understand," I say. "Tell him to meet us in the Park on Riverton. Just in case he is being watched we don't want them coming back here and getting you in trouble."

Katniss walks over to the supplies and begins to place all the equipment in my bag, and all of the meats and produce in her bag. She hands me the bag and I help her place her bag on her back.

Delly looks a little sad by the fact that we have to get going, but we have been here in one spot for too long.

"Too many people have suffered because they knew us," says Katniss. "We thank you for being there for us. We have to go because we do not want anything to happen to our Auntie Delly."

She smiles and grabs her coat and keys.

"So just hand him this?" she says.

"If he is asleep," says Katniss. "Cold water will definitely wake him up, but make sure that you stand at least ten feet from him after you pour it on him."

I smile at her, and tell her to only do that as a last resort. I can remember those days when we were younger and Katniss would tell me that she always enjoyed pouring it on him. It was her way of getting back at him for all the jabs at her.

We walk towards Delly and we hold each other there in her living room. Then we walk to the kitchen, check the blinds and when the coast is clear, we depart through the back door of the kitchen keeping our head down.

The cold air welcomes us back into its airs and punishes us for leaving it. The air so cold that it hurts to breathe, and not to mention hurt to walk. These are the months that I stay indoors in our house in the Victor's Village. It was horrible, I would spend days just sitting there with her drinking hot chocolate on the porch.

We move quickly, knowing that if we can make it to the park we can hide in the trees that were planted after the war. She walks in front of me, and makes quick time through the small courtyard garden from the homes. We then go through the alley between homes and finally we see the park's entrance.

"Riverton Park"

The park was built back after the war. It was originally a field that was never in use. When the institute was built, and opened, the children of the first class decided to do something out of thanks for the opportunity that no one else had given them. Their first project and every class after that would plant a tree for every fallen person in the war. The amount of people who have fallen to give freedom to those who didn't. To those people who loved the ones that lost everyone, a tree was planted. It does make for a good cover to hide though, but painful to come visit. We would make a trip to this place every year when it is Prim's birthday, then again when it was my father's.

The trees have grown higher and higher, and now the fence beyond the memorial forest is almost hidden between the outside and inside the District.

We make it finally to the beginning of the memorial forest and finally hide within the trees. In front of every tree is a small plaque of the name of the person who had fallen.

We don't need to look at the plaque for Prim's tree. Every year that she would have been alive, I would place another wind chime, so the wind would always shows us that she is still there.

Getting to the tree we see it has grown. The amount of wind chimes still gets to me, because it reminds me how long she has been gone. She places her hand on the plaque dropping the pack on the ground.

'Primrose Everdeen'

It still hurts, and it is still raw, like it happened yesterday. She looks up and see the wind chimes. I just keep my distance from her, because I know that this moment is private it is for her and her sister. It is after a couple of seconds that I see her hand reaching for mine.

I walk over to her and grab her hand. She knows that I miss her as well from the amount of the wind chimes that I had made for her.

She looks up and begins to count the wind chimes.

"She would have already been married," she says. "Don't you think?"

Looking up to the trees.

"Probably not," I say. "After all she would have to get permission from you and I don't think anyone would be good enough for you."

I can feel her smile on her face.

"You are right," she says. "But just like Buttercup and Lady, she would have convinced me. She always did have that sort of influence on me."

Buttercup, Primrose's favorite cat. I haven't thought of that cat since he died five years ago. I cannot remember a time where Katniss cried for that cat. She laughed and cried because she told me that they hated each other but loved Prim. She told me so many years ago that it was that love for her that at the end forced both of them to tolerate each other.

"I would have killed that cat if Prim didn't love it so much," she tells me. "Now I miss the darn thing."

"I know the feeling," I say.

We both smile at the thought of that cat.

"You know, you were the only one other than Prim that Buttercup liked," she says. "She told me once that the boy that Buttercup liked would be the one that I should marry.

I smile.

"So it was all up to the cat?" I ask. "Didn't the cat like Gale too?"

"Oddly enough, Buttercup didn't like anyone," she tells me. "But you and Prim. He tolerated me because I fed him end trails."

I can still remember that day, when Buttercup allowed me to hold him. We were summoned to Katniss's house by a group of Peacekeepers. It seemed that Katniss had left the District and the peacekeepers couldn't find her. We were just there waiting for her to get to the house.

The atmosphere was so tensed that even Prim felt it. Wanting to help Prim, I started to talk to her. She was doing her homework there while we waited for her sister. After seeing what homework she was doing, I helped her with it, and actually gave her some cookies.

I think probably it was why Buttercup rubbed up against my leg. I don't know that he had never done that, only with Prim. The fact that I was able to hold him in my arms and pet him was something of a miracle in itself.

"I can remember, the day that I held Buttercup in my arms," I say. "All Prim could do was smile and go to the living room to talk to you."

She smiles.

"Well she walked into the living room and told me what Buttercup did," she says. "I always thought it was silly, but she told me that it was a sign. That Buttercup has chosen what I couldn't back then."

"Was that the reason?" I start to say. "When I took you upstairs after you got hurt."

She nods.

"Silly, I know, but to Prim it was a sign," she says. "I know when you held me, that I felt safe. I know then what Buttercup suspected when you stayed with me."

"I promised you that I would," I say. "That I would stay with you always."

"Dumb cat," she says laughing.

Just then the wind comes and we start to hear the wind chimes start to sing through the trees.

The song that it sings is not just any song. It took me a while to get it just right but when I learned how to make different notes from the hollows of the wood, I know I could get the song just right. All I really needed was time.

She closes her eyes and hears the beginning of her lullaby to Prim. The one that she would sing to her when no one was looking, when she was frightened because of a nightmare. She told me that she would hum this little song. I remembered it and started to learn how to do wind chimes to match the notes.

The wind slowly stops and we hear footsteps. They are light, but you can still hear them. Someone is coming. Katniss's eyes widen just a little bit and just like that we are back in the reality of where we are now in this life. We are hiding from everyone in the District.

Katniss walks over to the tree nearby and then disappears behind it. I walk around Prim's tree and wait to hear the footsteps again. I hear the muttering of someone that I remembered a long time ago. Could it be?

I walk around Prim's tree and wait to hear the footsteps again. He is wearing some coat, and of course it looks like he hasn't bathe in a long time. Good thing we are up wind and cannot get a whiff of his scent because we would probably have caught wind of him a mile away.

"So you got my note," I say.

"Well it did say, that you followed my advice,"

"Well that was the only useful thing you had ever given us," I say. "To stay alive."

He smiles and walks over to me.

"Where is she?" He says.

"Around," I say. He looks to the left and then smiles.

"She got a knife to me right now doesn't she," he says.

I slowly turn my hand and show him mines as well.

"Never leave home without it," I say. "And she is where she needs to be, to protect her family."

"So," he says. "Where the hell have you been and what the hell happened."

I look around, and can see that although it looks like we are alone, we cannot talk here. It is not safe because with the wind travels whispers and we all know that the Capitol even the new government is not above placing listening devices or cameras.

"It is a little chilly out," I say giving him a hint.

"Well I know of a place up the road that is a little warmer," he says. "Are you going to call her out?"

"Katniss," I say. She moves from behind him, and slowly shows him her knife. He didn't realize it, but she was making her way behind him, and had already gotten within a couple of feet. If he was going to betray us, she would have had to just run a couple of steps and take him down.

He smiles.

"How are you doing sweetheart," he says.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It seems unreal at times, where there we are the three Victors of our own District, having been through the worst possible thing that we could have dreamt of, walking around like we were criminals. We have fought in wars, and have been tortured and left for dead. We have lost our entire families, and yet we continue to survive. We continue to inch towards a dream that many in our circle believe is a fairy tale. The dream of finally having a peaceful happy life.

I look at Haymitch, leading the way through the street keeping his head down. You can barely tell the limp from both of us. Mines from the lost of my leg in our Hunger Games, and his from just old age, we both have learned to make do with what we have. The dark grey coat that Haymitch has on covers his pants and parts of his boots. Katniss walks behind him keeping her hair out covering her face.

There are some people that walk by us. Leave it to Haymitch to pick a street that is somewhat populated. Thinking back, we never did ask where we were going, we are just following him around. He did say it was up the road, but how far and where to is another question. We finally come to a Pub. It was built a while back for all of those who wanted to get away from the privacy of their own home to get drunk, to a place where you are allowed to get publicly drunk.

I walk up to Haymitch and Katniss follows along.

"This isn't safe," I say.

"Relax," he says brushing me off. "The owner and I go way back."

He opens the door, which we find odd that it would be opened at this time. The darkness of the place reminds me of Haymitch's house. There are a couple of people there. We just keep our heads down and walk next Haymitch. The bartender looks up and drops his towel on the bar.

"Hey there old man," he says.

"Need the back room, have some old friends from the good old days" he says. "Keys."

The bartender throws the keys to him, which he catches and walks to the back of the room to a hallway and then finally up the stairs to a locked room. The door is interesting, as it looks solid steel.

It takes some pushing but finally when it creaks opens, we come into something that I wasn't expecting. A normal office, with a desk and a chair. The windows haven't been cleaned in a while as evident by the webbing of the spiders on the windows.

"Okay," I say. "This requires a solid steel door?"

He smiles as he walks by me and to the desk. He starts to search for something underneath.

"Where is it?" he mutters.

I look over to Katniss and she just shrugs. Either the old man has lost his mind or really he is looking for a gun underneath. It is a thought that I haven't dismissed yet. Ever since the incident of the War and the forest, I couldn't and wouldn't trust him.

I hear a click and then see a wall slightly push forward. He walks towards it and then grabs the seam and pulling it open. Behind the false wall is a spiral staircase. He turns on the switch and a light turns on.

"Come on," he says walking down the stairs.

She follows him down the stairs and I follow her. The walls are solid rock and seemed to be not in use. Once we are all down at the bottom of the stairs we walk a couple feet before Haymitch throws two switches. One I am guessing closes the false wall, as I hear a click from the stairs. The other switch, turns on the lights along a long tunnel.

We walk for another ten minutes and finally at the end of the tunnel we see two rooms and another pair of stairs.

"Where does these lead?" says Katniss.

"Those?" he says. "Lead to the forest about twenty yards from the fence. One room has a bed, and the other has supplies to last me for four months. "

This is the Haymitch we know. The distrusting, the paranoid, even with the new government. He told us years ago, but that he never really trusted the rebels, or District Thirteen. He was only with them, because he wanted them to get us out.

A lot of good that did, they only got one of us out. The memories of that night still haunt me but slowly it is being faded. With the years the quell has become only a faded dream.

He takes out a chair and asks Katniss to sit. She sits down and finally Haymitch lets out a breath.

"Well you really made a mess of things," he says.

"You mean me?" she says. "Or your friends at the Capitol."

He lets out a smirk. "Friends?" he says.

"Well my friends as you so placed it, say that it was your idea to push up the time frame of the mission. That the fact that you survived the arena mishap they think that you have something to do with it," he says.

There is a silence in the air. The implication of what the Capitol believes begins to sink in. The tension begins to rise and Haymitch begins to try and quench it.

"I for one do not believe it for a minute," he says. "For the very reason that I tell you that I am sorry for your lost…"

She stands up and turns around.

"They actually believe," she starts. "They actually believe that I could ever…I mean I hate them for taking everything away from me…but they think that I could…kill…"

He lowers his head unwilling to even respond.

She turns and I hold her in my arms. The thoughts that the Capitol would suggest that she could kill her own mother. It does render their own theory as useless. Everything about this has been missing something. He isn't telling us the full story.

"What aren't you telling us?" I say to him in a low tone.

"Now, you look here boy," he says.

"Boy," I repeat. "I am not a boy, and neither your boy. I don't owe you anything. You know that if it wasn't for her, you would be dead by my own hand."

He lets out a laugh.

"Oh really," he says. "Well let's try out your theory."

"Just tell us," says Katniss from my shoulder. "You owe us if anything, the truth."

I grab a paper and draw the same drawing that was given to me back in the Capitol after the first mission. I hand it to him and he looks at it. His eyes trace the picture and finally looks at me.

"Where did you see this?" He says with accusation on his tone.

"What does it mean?" I shoot it right back to him. The tone that he gives me, means that he knows more than he told us.

He balls up the paper and sets it on fire. Walking over to the desk he opens a drawer and takes out a folder. Opening the folder he starts to leaf through the papers. He then starts to read something.

"Haymitch," says Katniss. "What does it mean?"

He starts to mutter something, as if he isn't paying attention. Katniss finally walks over to the desk and slams her hand on it.

"Haymitch!" she yells.

His gaze is laser focused on hers. The pupils open and sharpen as if any movement and he will attack. They both stare at each other before Katniss has to move away. She is a strong woman but this is a very emotional thing, being lied to, having things hidden from you.

"They made contact already," I can make out from the muttering.

"Haymitch," says Katniss."What does it mean?"

"Look this is not good," he starts. "They are a separate group that is trying to rise up the old Capitol. They made their first appearance when they shot you Peeta."

"Shot me?" I say. "Back when Katniss was freed?"  
The memories of that day still haunt me. Then glimmer of the scope from the roof top from the Justice building.

The mark never really disappears. That is the thing with scars, although your memory may fail they will always be a constant reminder, a constant tie to what caused it. The bullet wound although it is one of many, it is the only one near my heart.

It was right after Katniss was acquitted of all charges for the assassination of President Coin. It seemed that all Katniss was suppose to say to the crowd of supporters was that she was grateful for their support but that now was a time to heal.

When I saw her get up all I can remember is seeing the glimmer of a reflection. It could have been anything, my first thought was how dangerous it was that she was out in the open. Many supported the acquittal but there was a few that didn't, that couldn't believe that she was unaware of what she was doing when she shot the arrow.

"So these people who shot me, they never caught them," I ask.

He shakes his head no.

"Your cousin never was able to track them down. That was the job of the intelligence agency," he says to Katniss. From the cousin reference that was made and I know that he meant Gale.

"They have been disrupting supply trains," he continues. That is when I remember that newspaper headline of the disruption, to district nine.

"Did they know?" Says Katniss. "Was that the reason that the other team was brought into the picture?"

"I don't know everything," he says. "All I know is that their has been threats made, and heightened security was sent. The other team were suppose to be there just to observe make sure there wasn't any attack. I honestly believe the timetable being upped was to throw them off."

The thought that they are still not telling us everything angers me. It causes my hands to begin to shake. Katniss begins to see this and stops the pressuring and walks over to me. She wraps her hands around mines, and looks at me.

"It is okay," she says. "It is okay. It is just you and me."

I close my eyes and concentrate on her voice. The soothing sound of her voice that gives me such pleasure. I feel her hands grab mines which have been clenched in a fist. Slowly but surely, my fingers start to lessen its grips and finally release.

"There," she says in a soft voice. "We are going to get out of here."

"What is our next step," I ask.

There is silence as we were just making it up as we went along. We were just trying to find out what happened and who is to blame. The people think that we are dead, but the Capitol know that we aren't. They think that we are to blame for it. There is a third party that we never knew existed, that have been hiding in the shadows.

Do we tell Haymitch about the rose? Did the third part leave that there to let us know that they exist?

Katniss turns and looks at Haymitch.

"Haymitch is going to clear our names," she says. "He is going to talk to whoever he needs to, to make sure that we are not hunted by the Capitol. Once we get that done, then we are going after these…"

We don't even know if they have a name. Are they rebels? Are they rebelling against the current government. The thought that they what we were, is sickening. Have we become what we fought against?

"Do they even have a name?" she says with disgust.

Haymitch looks up and smiles.

"The Fundamentalist," he says. "That is what they call themselves."


	7. Chapter 7

The unknown is something that always brings fear. To know at least your enemy sure gives you a sense of direction. The light has been turned on and now we know who they are, the Fundamentalists. From what Haymitch tells us, it is a group that was started after the old Capitol government fell. There were people in the Capitol, District one, two and four that didn't think anything was wrong with the old government, with the Hunger Games.

They have been slowly bringing their forces up. Haymitch tells us that many people believe that they are in the northern tip of District Nine. It isn't the largest district in all of Panem, so where would they hide all these people? From the information on the number of people, my best bet is that they have some underground complex.

"What else do they know on these Fundamentalist," I ask.

"Not much, they don't even know who the leader is," he says.

"So this picture," I say.

"It is there logo," he says.

"It is odd, because the way the girl was describing it, she said she fought on the rebellion," I say.

"In their own mind, Katniss and the rebels were fighting for two different things," he says. "Whenever their would be an attack by these people, they would leave quotes from President Paylor."

'They were not doing it to incite a rebellion, they did it because they wanted to live'

The fact that they would use President Paylor address that day in our district is something that sickens me. Even Katniss has a hard time trying to absorb all this. The very thought that they feel justified in bringing back the way things were is enough to anger anyone who is living in Panem now.

"In their minds, they are doing all these things because they want to live the way they use it. To preserve their way of living," says Haymitch.

Their way of living is by causing our suffering. The sufferings of the entire country. The old Capitol running on the backs of all of its districts. To go back to those days is to say that everyone who died fighting was all for nothing. Sure that we didn't do any of this to incite the war, but we will be damned if we will let it mean nothing. The deaths of our family members, all those people, they died for something more than us wanting to live. They died for an idea.

"Something I never got," I say coming to terms with something. The question that was in the back of my mind up to right now.

"If they are as bad as you say they are," I say. "Why wait fifteen years? The best attack would have come early into the formation of the new government, so why wait until now to make an appearance?"

"Don't underestimate your opponent not everything is so black and white," says Haymitch.

The arrogance of this man, it is always there, a pissing contest with Haymitch. He honestly thinks that I owe him my life. He thinks that he saved me, when it was the one holding my hand that brought me back. His plan would have just killed me, hers brought me redemption.

The clicking sound still wakes me up sometimes. The fact that I can still feel it, the eyes all around me. I knew he was there. I could feel him there watching me for the distance. The clicking sound.

It was years ago. When District Thirteen had cleared me to join the Boggs team. For some odd reason, President Coin needed me to be at rebel's camp. We couldn't fly all the way in with a hovercraft, because it would give away our position. They had me transported via hovercraft until District Twelve, then we got into a transport car through the forest of Twelve and then through Eleven. It should have been at least a four day journey to just travel through the two districts. They did it in only two days. We switched trucks twice, and changed drivers I don't know how many times.

It was just off the tunnel leading into the Capitol when I heard a click sound. The spiders had just been destroyed and we had just stopped to rest when I heard it. The soldiers with me didn't hear it, a soft click. They dismissed it to nerves and continue our way.

That clicking sound still haunts me in the woods. The soft click of a sniper rifle. It was years later when Haymitch in one of his drunken stupor let out that he couldn't do it.

"Couldn't do what?" I say.

His speech is slurred and almost incoherent.

"Had you in my sights boy, but I couldn't pull the trigger," he says.

The thought. What did he mean? He had me in his sights? A trigger? Was he going to shoot me?

"Where did you have me in your sights," I say. Katniss sees the conversation and walks over to me. She excuses us and we begin to walk away from Haymitch. As we walk away I arch my head back to see him and could hear very clearly.

"It would have been easy too, right outside the tunnel."

It was confirmed later when I asked her. She didn't confirm it, but she didn't deny it either. It was then that I realized that I could never trust Haymitch. I found out through the back channels in District Thirteen, that he had snuck off and came all the way to our position and actually was there to kill me. It was his way of protecting Katniss, because he knew that I would kill her if I had been given the opportunity.

He should have pulled the trigger save us all the heartache. Then who knows if Finnick would still be here, or even the team. The screams of Mitchell still haunts me, not every night but it is always there. If he had done that, would Prim still be there? There is so many questions, there is so many what ifs.

I don't trust him because he couldn't pull the trigger when he needed to. He hesitated. The one thing he told me never to do. When you have a mission you finish it, you do not hesitate.

"Just like you told me not to hesitate," I respond back to him. "Your advice has holes old man."

His face changes and Katniss has to grab me pushing me towards the door.

"Haymitch, clear our names," she says as she is pushing me out the door.

"Give me two days," he says. "Let me see what I can do."

"Not see, Haymitch, do," she corrects him.

She shuts the door and finally there in the tunnel she looks at me.

"You really wished that he didn't hesitate?" she says. "Do you wish your life had ended there?"

The thought of it. I lower my head and I know that it probably wouldn't have changed anything. But if it did, what if it could have changed and saved at least one life that died.

"You dying, wouldn't have changed her living," she says although her voice trembles a little bit.

There she said it. The one thing that has the clicking sound echoing. Would it have saved her? We know that if Haymitch had killed me that day, it wouldn't have stopped Coin from sending the first responders in when they took the President's mansion. The rebels didn't know that the position of Katniss or the other members of the Star Squad.

"I know," I say finally giving up. "I can still hear him screaming though. I don't think that Mitchell screams would ever go away."

"It wasn't your fault," she says. "You know that."

It is what everyone has always said. That it wasn't my fault. The people from the District said it. The tribunal verified it. Even Mitchell's family forgave me for it. It doesn't stop it though, from replaying in my mind. The prison that sometimes holds me for minutes or hours or even days.

"The screams doesn't know that, the nightmares doesn't tell me that it isn't my fault," I say. "They just keep on replaying it over and over in my head."

She places her hand on my cheek.

"You need to tell me these things," she says. "You cannot continue to walk this all by yourself."

I nod.

It is enough that he hand on my cheek that it brings me to a calm place in my soul. The torment in my heart finally seems to have calmed. She grabs my hand we and we walk up to the exit stairs. The outer door opens and the cold wind seeps through the coats.

It takes us a couple of minutes to get our bearings. We are near the Victor's Village, I think.

"Where to?" I say.

"Home," she says with a smile. "We did get the supplies and I am hungry."

I let out a laugh and just like that we are back in our own little world. It is enough that we do not have to look over our shoulders, we can walk freely through the forest. I always thought that the air felt crisper on this side of the fence.

We start to walk when Katniss finally stops in her tracks. The looks of wonderment on her face is the first that I had seen.

"What?" I say.

She looks unsure herself and finally grabs my hand and places it under her coat and on her belly.

"Just wait," she says.

The warm skin is almost as inviting to touch as is her lips that are almost smiling. Her eyes are not focus on mines but off in a distance, almost lost in thought. Her hand on top of mines, the fact that my hand is on her bare skin. I wait there for something although I do not know what. That is until I feel something against the skin, but underneath.

It comes and goes.

"Did you feel that?" she says.

"Was that?" I say.

She nods.

"I think so," she says. "Guess someone wanted to say hello."

I quickly get on my knees and kiss her stomach right where our hands were.

"Hello," I say to the bare skin.

Standing I see her face turn from wonderment to this sort of fear. It is almost as if she is lost in a place that she knew all along. What is going on inside of her mind I wonder.

"Are you okay?" I say.

"I can't," she says.

"Can't what?" I say.

"I can't do this alone," she says. "I need my mother."

The destination has changed in that split second. We have to make it to the nearby medical office. From being outside the District to now having to go back in.

"We will go into the District, to get you checked out," I say.

She stops me.

"We have to wait for Haymitch," she says. "He said he needed two days."

"Can you wait that long?" I ask. "You need to know, and I don't want you to feel like you are going to go through this alone."

She sits down on a nearby rock.

"I have been feeling this odd sensation," she says. "Honestly I didn't know what it was, but the only thing that I could think of is the baby. I didn't know, and of course I don't have her here to tell me."

Her words starts to trail, and I can see that she is getting emotional.

"I don't know what is wrong with me," she says. "I have been crying more and more, I don't understand it."

I kneel right in front of her, grabbing her hands keeping them warm. From my understanding, the hormones of pregnant women sometimes are intense on the side of the emotions, so that they are extremely happy, sad, or angry. This being our first child, we are lost with no one to guide us. We do not know what to do, and all I want to do is protect her and our child.

"It is okay," I say. "We will figure it out."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

With everything that is unknown, sometimes all you have to do is trust your instincts. I have to wonder how it was for my parents when they had my oldest brother. They were probably no older than we were. Who could have told my mother on what to expect on how to deal with things that she might not be ready for?

This is all very new to us, and yes we are very excited but also we are also terrified at the thought of not knowing what to do. At screwing up someone who has no fault of their own. Is it the fear of every parent to not want to affect their child in a negative way? Say the wrong thing or even do the wrong thing, I know that it plagued me in the days in the Capitol. The fact that Katniss may be experiencing now with her mother not being here to help her.

"I think what we should do is get you home," I say. "I do have all the ingredients for a good meal, and I know that you will feel better once we are home."

She thinks about it there on the rock that she sat down on. Looking up she nods and say okay. Helping her up, I know that soon she will not be able to make these trips. It is a thought that I have not yet been prepared for. Should Haymitch not be able to clear our names, we will be forced to live our lives in exile. To gather supplies we would have to get Delly to come out to us.

Delly in the forest? It is something that I wasn't prepared for. We had always thought of staying in our house in the Victor's Village. At least there we had people that would be glad to help us, like Sae and April.

The old man has to pull through. We need him to do this one thing for us. If not it would make things very hard for us. Thinking of a plan B, I think probably of storing more food.

"Dry food," I say out loud.

"Hmm," she says turning back.

"Oh I am sorry, just thinking out loud," I say. "Do you think that we should store more dry food?"

"Well winter is almost over," she says. "When spring comes, game will more than likely be back."

It is something to consider.

"You would be okay with me going out alone to hunt?" I say.

"Of course," she says. "You have done it before. Although please no more goat meat."

"I promise to remember that," I say. Although we laugh about it now, it was the only thing that we could find back then. It was the one thing that saved us from surely dying.

After a couple of minutes we find our way back to the hole in the fence that we first walked through. Checking for signs of anyone going through it, we find that there are no tracks or signs of movement, so we take up our bows that we hid and start our way back to our home.

The wind whistle through the leafless branches. The crunching sound of the boots on the snow, is unmistakable. It is the same sound that we heard in the arena, and then on fight for survival home. Through the days and nights where we did not believe that we would make it. It was the stars that guided us, that kept us on the right path. The grey skies now fill the sky above us as we walk, and although there is no sounds of birds, I can still imagine it as it was filled with birds guiding us home.

Finally getting to the door to the fence, we stop and look around. Something is off. We both look around for signs and find that there are small subtle things. Finally Katniss lets out the bird call. Then to our surprise we hear it being sung right back.

The loud thump on the snow and finally a familiar voice.

"I knew you weren't dead," he says.

Turning around, we see him there with a look of sadness in his eyes. He looks at us and as he approaches us, finally he opens his arms and embraces us both.

"I knew it," he says. "From the day in Tigris basement that you wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Looking at him, I can see that the same man that came to visit me that day in the little inn is the same one that stands before me now. His eyes have changed from anger to finally sadness and pain. It might have been enough, the thought of losing her to realize that Katniss's very existence is more important to him than anything.

"What are you doing here?" she says obviously not convinced.

"Katniss," he says. "I am sorry for acting…"

"Like an total…" she wants to finish before I place my hand on her shoulder.

She turns and smiles, obviously biting her tongue. It was something that we would make an effort to do. To never allow our voices to says things that our child would pick up on, that we said in anger.

"I am sorry, truly Catnip," he says to her. "What do you say?"

She crosses her arms and finally grabs my pack off my shoulders and hands it to him along with her weapon.

"You can make yourself useful and bring these in," she says walking through the gate.

I just give him a pat on back of the shoulder and walk inside with him. This was the very first time that he has come to the house. He is after all the only one that even knows it exists out here. He looks around and finally cannot hold his amazement of how far we have come in the construction.

Looking back at him I can see that his walk has slowed to a slow pace.

"Not bad for a baker huh," I say looking at him.

"Not too shabby," he says.

Finally making it to the little house he places the packs on the porch and finally Katniss turns around and gives him a hug. It is good for her to have him in her life.

She separates from him and finally shoves him.

"Jerk," she says.

He nods and acknowledges it.

"Come inside, and help us with the supplies," she says.

I pick up the packs and tell him to go inside, that I will be right in. He walks into the house, and the door closes. I open up my pack and take out all of the supplies and placing it in the nearby trunk space.

It isn't that I don't trust him, it is just that we still have to be cautious on who is around us. After all we are still being hunted by the Capitol and probably even the Fundamentalists. The last thing we need is for Gale to be holding a tracker on him and bring his pals from the intelligence agency here.

I grab the nearby device that we had first used before we left, and walk inside. Inside the living room I see that Katniss has wasted no time.

She has gotten Gale out of his jacket and his shoes. She looks at my hand and see the device Beetee had given us. She smiles and looks at him.

"Don't worry, Peeta," she says looking at him. "I had already checked him when I hugged him."

Turning on the device I tell him that it is for his safety as well as our own. I do a quick swipe and finally find that he has no trackers on him or his backpack.

"He is clean," I say to Katniss.

"There are you satisfied," he says.

"No," she says. "How did you know we were here, and don't give me that you had been coming here every day waiting for us, hoping that we would be alive."

He smiles.

"No," he says. "Someone in the bar called me when they saw you walk in. I knew that if you guys were still alive you would contact the old man first."

So much for honor among drunks. We will have to make sure to let Haymitch know.

"So Gale," I say. "Why are you here?"

He looks at me and still there is no change in his persona.

"I am truly trying to make amends. After we heard the explosion, and the reports started coming in, people couldn't believe it," he says. "They had to physically restraint me, in order for me not get on a hovercraft and go off looking for you guys."

He lifts up his sleeves and shows us the deep cuts on his wrists, they are fresh too. If anything he was held with handcuff, but for what reason we do not know.

"Katniss, I am sorry about your…" he starts.

"Don't," she cuts him off. "Please."

He realizes that the pain is much too fresh to talk about it, so he just backs off. I stand at the door way and can see that he turns to look at me before turning and looking at Katniss.

"Am I your prisoner," he asks.

"Well you do work for the enemy," says Katniss.

He looks at me.

"Peeta, you know that I am not the enemy," he says. "The agency was sent there to protect…"

"Oh save it," I cut him off. "We know all about the Fundamentalists. They weren't there to protect us, they were there because they wanted to set up a trap for them. Isn't that why they upped the mission three days?"

The look of surprise is on his face.

"So you know about the Fundamentalists," he says.

"Yes Gale," says Katniss. "We know most of the story."

"Then know this," he says. "I knew of this place for years and yet no one, no one from the Capitol ever came here. I never told them of this place, because I would never betray you."

He looks at Katniss.

"Did they know that my mother would be in danger," she says. "Did you know that she would be in danger?"

He shakes his head no.

"The plan was to go disarm the arena and set up a trap for them," he says. "The team, you and them were suppose to be long gone before they even arrived."

She finally has to hold onto the door post to the kitchen. I walk around him and finally am at her side holding her up and walking her to the couch. It seems that all the emotions have been too much for her.

"It is okay," I say. "He didn't know."

I sit next to her. Looking back, I tell him to go into the kitchen and on the top shelve there is a glass container with a green powder.

"Mix one spoon full into a cup of hot water," I say.

He turns and walks into the kitchen. I hear the fire start in the stove and hear the water being poured into a cup and finally placed on the stove.

"It has been a long day," I say to her.

She looks at me.

"Don't worry, just a little tired," she says. "Probably all that walking we did from the arena here tired me out."

"Yeah that is it," I say. "Lie down, I will see what is taking so long."

She lies down and when I stand he is there already with the cup of tea in his hand. He hands it to me and finally looks at her.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have come," he says. "Just wanted to make sure you are okay. Can see that you are."

He turns and walks out the door.

"Here," I say giving her the cup. "Drink all of it. Don't make me come here and have to force you to drink it all."

She smiles and I kiss her hand before I stand.

"Where are you going?" she says.

"Going to get your cousin," I say walking out to the door and see that he is walking towards the door.

"Hey Gale!" I yell out. "Wait up!"

He turns and stops, looking at the ground. Finally getting to him, I can see that he is truly beaten up about this.

"Hey man," I say. "Come back to the house. You can't go out now, the sun is almost setting, and you know how dangerous it is out there at night."

"I will be alright," he says.

Finally after a couple of seconds.

"Just give her time," I say. "She is hurting just like you are. Just like we all are, she needs you right now to be there for her. You are the only thing left that she has that reminds her of her mother. You know that?"

He turns and finally nods okay.

We walk back towards the house.

"You know, you really make it hard not to like you," he says.

I smile.

"I know," I say. "People have told me that one before."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

This is probably the first time that we are all in the same room and there is no tension in the air. Katniss just sits there under a blanket. Walking into the living room I grab the food that was left in the pack. I see that Gale finally sits down in one of the living room chairs. Going into the kitchen I open the pack and place the meats in the freezer. It is a great thing that we were able to hook up to some panel that store the electricity for the freezer.

After getting the meats into the freezer, I look into the bag and find a brown paper bag tied together with my name on the label. I think about it for a little bit. Delly went to get the supplies, I am pretty sure that she got everything that we need and asked for. I think this is her little gift to me. Taking the bag out, I examine the writing and sure enough the happy face in the "P" of my name and I know that it is Delly's handwriting.

Opening the bag, I see that there are big chunks of a brown material. I grab one of the smaller chunks and lift it to my nose, the intoxicating aroma, is so familiar, and yet a memory. I wonder if I dreamt about this. Doctor Aurelius had explained to me that the treatments had allowed me to recover all my new memories intact.

"Anything that is pass your time in the Detention center will be as a normal memory," he says smiling. "Obviously we are still working to get your brain to access and process your old memories without triggering you know."

I roll down my sleeve.

"So that is why I have been remembering everything more like I use to," I say. "I could remember things from the war, and the rebuilding of the District without feeling like it wasn't my memory."

He pats me on the back.

"We are close," he says. "Soon enough, we will have you back to the way you were."

The way I was. It would be nice though to one day look at yourself in the mirror and recognize yourself. Looking down at the dark chunks in my hand.

"Chocolate," I say smiling.

Remembering the train and the first time that I had some in a hot cut with sugar was it.

I open the cupboard and looking at book that we labeled recipes I go to the one that says 'hot chocolate.'

Reading the entry I see that we had started to write everything that we could remember. It was mainly for me of course but it did help us so that we could make up recipes on how to do the things that we secretly loved from the Capitol. Mostly it was the food, although Katniss would never admitted it.

I cut a couple of pieces of chocolate into a pot and pour some milk in. The wood is still there from earlier this morning, although I will need to go to the shed and get some more. It only takes a couple of minutes to get the chocolate pieces to melt. I grab a little bit of the sugar from the bag in the cupboard and sprinkle it in the pot.

Grabbing a wooden spoon I taste it and finally smile when it taste almost the same.

Pouring it out in three mugs I walk back to the living and find them there talking.

"Here you go," I say handing it to Katniss.

She smells the aroma coming from the cup and immediately smiles.

"I didn't know we still had some chocolate left over from before," she says. The way she says it and I can quickly catch what she is referring to.

Even though we have welcomed Gale in our home, we still do not want to get Delly in trouble for helping us. I of course will tell her later, but for now we will just have to cover.

"Wouldn't you know it," I say. "I found it in the freezer, it was still good."

We all take a sip and finally see Katniss smile, and even just for a small second let out a sigh of delight.

"So," I say turning to Gale. "Tell us what you know."

He warms his hands on the mug and then finally places it on the table.

"We don't have much information on them," he says.

That right there I don't quite understand.

"For fifteen or sixteen years you have been made aware of this and either the intelligence agency of this new Capitol doesn't know what they are doing, or you are holding out," I say with a smile.

He smiles.

"Something that I learned a long time ago back before the whole Mockingjay thing," he says. "Truth you see, is not based on what you hear, or even what you see, it is based on what you know. So what we hear is a lot of stories about this and what I see is a diverted train here, supplies missing there, but what I know is only a couple of things."

The mockingjay bit is of course aimed at me. It is to show that he knows a lot more than what I do. It is that he knows Katniss a lot longer than I could ever. Probably it means that he understands her a lot longer than I do. The thing is that he would never understand, is that I am just happy knowing her now. I don't need to compete for her, I am happy to have known her at all. Love is just that, knowing that the happiness of another means more than your own.

"So what do you know Gale," says Katniss. "If you are going to recite old things that my father taught me, then what do you know?"

There are gaps in her life that I do not know. It is true though what he says. I could hear people talking about what they think is true. I could even see it with my own eyes. But it isn't until I physically know something that it becomes true.

"The only thing I know is that they move like they are in the shadows," he says. "I was tracking one for days, and finally just as I am about to catch them. It is like they disappeared."

That doesn't help us.

"So what have you heard?" I say. "Because we can't catch shadows and your 'know' doesn't help at all."

"The only thing that we hear is that they have two bases one in District Nine," he says. "The other comes from stories that are probably made up by children."

If I would chose a place to hide myself I would definitely hide it in a place that people would think was impossible to find.

"So what are the stories," I ask.

"We checked it out," he says. "Nothing there."

"Humor us," says Katniss.

He asks for a piece of paper. I stand and walk over to a sketch book that I have. Ripping a page out I hand it to him. He grabs it and starts to draw the map of Panem. Looking at it we come to the conclusion that Gale really should stick with the bow and arrow. He numbers what I believe is the districts and finally I see where we are.

"We are here," he says circling an area and putting a twelve on it. "The arena is across the mountain range here."

He draws little triangles along the middle of twelve.

"Odd," I say. "The triangles were bigger in person."

The mountain how beautiful they look for afar, but how menacing they look close. Those two days that we spent going through the valley of the two mountains was something that I could never forget.

It was those days that I would love to forget. It was those moments that going through the valley it makes you feel that it is never ending. The rocks and the terrain was rough enough, the body crying out for it to all end. The force feeding of the goat meat that was the only thing that we had to eat, these are all memories that I wish would disappear.

Her hands felt so cold that day. Walking alongside her, helping her through the cold snow. The hard terrain was more prevalent in the middle of two mountains.

"Peeta," she says weakly through the covered mouth guard that we made from my old shirt that we ripped.

Turning around I see that she is tired.

"You want to sit down for a little bit," I say.

She nods and I help her to the nearby rocks to sit down and take a breather.

"We need to get through the valley by night fall sweety," I say. "So we cannot stay seated for long."

The grey skies hide the sun's position, but from the tiredness of the day it may be early afternoon. Looking up I see that there are no signs of what time it is.

She sits for a couple of minutes before kneel right next to her. Her hands so cold, without any feeling in them. I grab them both and start to blow hot air into them. I can see the white puff of air coming from her more rapidly that normal. I reach around my belt and finally find my water bottle.

Handing it to her.

"Here," I say. "Drink."

She can barely hold the bottle, so I have to pop off the top of the bottle and hold it up to her mouth. My hands are all numb, and although I cannot feel it, I squeeze with all I can to get the last couple of drops out of the bottle.

If we do not drink the water quickly, the water freezes and then we would have to wait to make camp in order to thaw it out with the fire.

My warm hand brings me back to the here and now. I see that Gale had continue talking about the mountains and finally the area where the arena use to be.

"Somehow, the mountains are different when you pass in between them," I say somberly.

She squeezes my hand and then gives me a smile. We made it through that, I know that we can make through anything.

Gale stops and think about the 'x' that he has marked.

"Right here was the arena," he says.

Something so small can cause so much pain. That little 'x' marks the relative spot where things changed for both of us. I don't know yet if we will come out of it out as we are still trying to survive it.

"We have heard stories that their second base is somewhere on the coast of twelve," he says.

"Coast?" says Katniss. "We have a coast?"

"Yes, they call it 'the edge of darkness,' no one but a few people actually have gotten to it," he says. "That is where the children say they have seen people come from under the water. They say that they seen them walk on the water."

Something in the pit of my stomach and I know that is where we have to go. It was just like that time that I had that test in District Thirteen. I knew that it was where she was.

"That ." I say pointing. "That is where we are going."

"I told you, we checked, and nothing was there," he insisted. "How could you be so sure?"

"Sometimes it isn't what you know, it is what your gut tells you," I say. Just like when I was picked for the Games, I know in my gut that we would end up together.

Looking back I see Katniss looking at me. She nods and knows that she feels it as well.

"We would need your help though," I say to Gale. "Do not think Katniss would like to hike all the way over there again."

He looks at both of us. It is to see if we are serious. It is to see if we had made up our minds. It has been enough that they have come into our house. That they took a shot at her all those years ago. So now we are going to stop playing defense and finally go on the offense.

"Haymitch is suppose to be helping us clear our names," says Katniss.

He grabs one more sip of the hot chocolate stands and says.

"Well then, we will have to get ready," he says. "Tomorrow we will have to go back to the District to wait for our hovercraft."


	10. Chapter 10

PART II

"THE EDGE OF DARKNESS"

Chapter Ten

Weird is one of the feelings that I felt while trying to sleep that night. I had to give some sleep syrup to Katniss in order for her to finally get some sleep. It seems that she couldn't stop thinking, couldn't stop trying to plan out tomorrow. It is like being back in the Capitol, waiting for the Games. It doesn't feel like before though. We are not going on a mission designed by the Capitol. We are not going to the Games to fight for our lives. This time around this is for us. It is a mission that we are going to settle scores.

Looking at the ceiling of our room I can hear her breathing quietly. I feel her hand on my chest. It is the same way she has always slept with me next to her. She always tells me that it is to feel my heart to know that it beats. It calms her, to know that I am still there. For me just feeling her hand on my chest calms me, it is because I know that she is real.

I slowly move away from her hand and slip out of my bed. Walking out to the hallway, I still feel the warmth of the fireplace that is currently going. It was the right thing to do, I know that, even though it is a little uncomfortable. It was much too late for Gale to have gone back into the forest and back into the District. It is funny because her eyes told me that it was okay to ask and have him sleep on the couch of our living room. Who would have thought, our first house guest would be Gale?

He sits there obviously not sleeping but just staring out in the night. The soft wood still creeks and my footsteps are still not the softest like Katniss. He lifts his head ever so lightly, realizing that someone was there.

"Still can't sleep," I ask.

"Haven't been able to get a full night for years," he says not turning his head.

The fire is softly just burning but not too brightly, just enough to keep the area warm. Walking closer to him, I walk around the couch and then sit on the chair.

"It is funny sometimes I wake up and think that we are still in that basement of Tigris's old shop," he says. "Still thinking…"

"I know," I say. "I would feel the same way if I was you. Still thinking if she is still there."

He turns and then sits down next to me.

"You know," he says. "I am truly happy for you and her."

"I know," I say. "It is hard to turn it off though. Not like you can just turn off the feelings, like a light switch."

He doesn't say anything but I know, that he can relate to what I just said. It isn't easy to stop loving someone that you loved all your life. I am pretty sure that he knew that he loved her way before. All those time in the forest, how could he not. He felt what it was like to have someone trust him with her life.

I stand and walk towards the kitchen.

"Do you want some water," I ask.

He looks at me and remembers that day. There I was chained there while everyone was sleeping. He could have just have gone back to sleep, but he asked if I wanted some water.

"I am fine," he says. "Sun is going to come up."

I nod.

"I will get her up," I say.

"Going to be a long day," he says.

Walking back I see her there just in the door of our room. She smiles and I know that she heard most if not all of what we said.

She grabs my hand and kisses me on the cheek.

"Thank you," she says.

I turn and look at her.

"Your happiness matters to me more than anything," I say. "I know that having your friend here, brings you some sort of happiness."

She misses her friend and I knew that both of them need each other. They are friends first and although Katniss does love Gale, she always tells me that she wants to be with me.

I kiss her on her forehead and she leads me into the room. I close the door behind me and finally there in the room she holds me and starts to hum. There is a smile on her face as she lifts my hand and slowly moves around in a circle.

"Did you want a dance?" I ask placing my other hand around her waist.

"I never want to leave your arms," she says.

The way she says it, makes me just melt. I mean what do you do, or how do you respond to the woman you loved always when she says that she never wants to leave your arms?

"Now what do you say to that?" I say.

She shrugs, as I turn her. Just then I pick her up and twirl her around. She lets out a laugh and opens up her arms. Just then I slow down and place her on the bed.

"Are you ready," she says.

I shrug back to her. Honestly you can never really know if you are ready to go in. I lie down next to her.

"You know that I love you," I say.

There is a pause.

"I know," she says. "I wonder though."

"What?" I say.

"Do you know because of your gut?" she says with a smile reminding me what I said.

"I always knew," I say.

She stands up and walks over to the closet going through her clothes. Finally getting on some old long sleeve t-shirt and jeans, she grabs some boots walks by me slowly. I grab her hand and she stops turn and finally I place a slow kiss on her lips. She arches her back as I tilt her slightly over. All I can hear from her is a soft groan and finally after a minute or so, she finally just stands there a couple of minutes.

She places her hand on her chest.

"You have been holding out," she says with a smile. She tells me to quickly change so that we can leave on time this time around.

"Hey it wasn't my fault last time," I say.

Walking out she closes the door behind her. The small light coming out from behind the window and I know that the day is starting to come out. Lifting up my arms to stretch I find that more and more my muscles tend to not want to wake up this early. Funny how many years ago when this all started my body didn't want to wake up either.

Putting on my green long sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of jeans I sit on the edge of my bed slipping on my boots. Once tied, I move over to my night stand and open the drawer looking for the three letters. There in the drawer lies nothing but a small little paper. There written in Katniss's handwriting is a simple statement.

'Nice try, you are not going anywhere'

Leave it to Katniss to find it.

Standing up I open the door and finally walk into the kitchen where I see that Katniss has made a quick breakfast for us. They are there laughing about something when I walk in.

"Put some eggs there for you," she says. Sitting down I look up and see that they both smiling.

"What is so funny?" I say.

"Oh it was nothing." She says. "I was remembering that time when Gale fell into the lake outside. The way he gracefully just decided to take a bath."

You can tell that this memory was a fun one.

"Well as I remembered it someone did push me in," he says with an accusation on her voice.

When finished we all grab our packs and place something to eat a change of clothes. I grab a jacket and hand it to her. She hands me my bow and arrows. After a couple of minute of checking the packs and our equipment we finally walk out the door.

I walk around the house making sure that all the windows are locked. The morning light is still new and the air is still. Good thing there is no wind because the cold air would definitely not be welcomed on these very old bones. I wonder how does Haymitch do it, walk around in this weather. He has definitely beaten the odds.

"Katniss," I say.

She turns and looks at me.

"About the umm, you know," I say.

"The goodbye letters in the nightstand?" she says. "What about them?"

The way she responds to them, it is easy to realize that she isn't too happy about them.

"I wrote those before we went into the arena," I say.

"Still no excuse," she says.

She slows down and let Gale continue walking. It is definitely not a good sign because she of course wants to yell at me for even writing them.

"I understand the reason why you would," she says. "I know that it came from a good place in your heart. But don't give up on us just yet."

She walks away.

It isn't what I was doing. It was the only way that I could say goodbye.

"Katniss," I say.

She turns and walks back obviously more upset.

"You know, you always do this, in our Games, in the Quell, always trying to sacrifice yourself," says Katniss. "I don't need a hero. Not anymore. I need my husband. I need the father of this child. I want you to fight for me…fight for your family. Promise you will, because I have been fighting for you, and for our family, but I can't do it alone."

I have never seen her this way. Probably it is time to stop trying to be the hero, and now time to be what she needs me to be.

"I am sorry. I never meant to make you feel so alone in this," I say. "I promise that I will not be the hero."

She nods and says okay.

"Let's go," she says.

Seeing Gale there waiting for us at the door, there is something that I just realized. Gale would never be the hero, he wanted to leave with Katniss to the woods back before the Quell. Even when the District was being burned to the ground, his concern was his family first. It just so happened that everyone else was around him.

We walk out to the forest and immediately everything get quiet and quick. All of our movements are deliberate. Gale takes point and we quickly follow behind him. There are the ups and downs of the forest, but to Gale it is like he is walking on a plain surface. It is amazing how they both just move like it is second nature to them. They weave and move around trees at a quick pace.

Katniss of course moves a little bit slower with the extra passenger.

Finally coming to a hole in the fence that we never quite knew existed. He slips through. We follow him and find ourselves in the Mayor's garden.

Funny thing is that we didn't even store our bow, Gale just walked into the Garden with full weapons. The peacekeepers there approach us and tells us what our business is. All Gale does is take out some wallet thing, and they just let us through without any questions. They don't even make eye contact with us.

Finally inside the Mayor's home, we find ourselves in an empty room with furniture. I hear the click and clack of shoes and find that someone is coming. Katniss walks back slowly and places herself next to me. We haven't been inside this house since the wedding. Although it hasn't changed, it just doesn't feel the same.

The steps are finally close enough where we see the person. We find that it is the Mayor of District Twelve, Thom.

Gale removes his bow and embraces his old coal mining friend. We forget but at the end of the day, Thom is Gale's friend long time before he was ours. He was one of the people who help carry Gale back to Katniss's mother house when he was whipped.

Gale asks for the communication room. Thom hands him a key and his eyes never look at us. Could it be that he feels guilty over what happened. I look over to Katniss and can see that she doesn't say a word, or even make eye contact. Turning around, Gale looks at us.

"Ready?" he says.

"For?" I responds.

"Our video conference with the President," he says.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Gale," says Katniss. "That is the last person that I want to talk to."

He looks back.

"He is the only one that you need to talk to," he says. "Don't worry though, it will be okay."

Katniss stands there unsure of what to do. It is almost as if her mind just went blank. Walking over to her I slip my hand into hers. Her fingers react and close around mines. Looking to my side she only has to see that I am with her and she turns to Gale and nods to proceed. The many times in the Capitol when I felt unsure, where the plans ended and all I had left was the fear of the unknown, it was her touch that gave me peace. The peace of knowing that was behind me.

Gale walks through the nearby hallway and then finally through a wall that automatically opened. It must be nice to be part of the intelligence agency that even the peacekeepers have to follow your orders. It makes sense though that we would be able to keep our weapons if they thought we were part of some mission.

The weird thing is that everyone sees us and doesn't react to the fact that we are not dead. Not even a surprised look, it is an odd feeling. The only thing that I can think of is that they might conclude that we were in some top secret mission.

Once we are in the secured room hidden in the Mayor's house. The door clicks locked and then the lights automatically turn on.

"Okay, we are in a clean room," he says to us. "No listening devices or anything like that."

He walks over to the computer turning it on.

"Keyword," the computer says.

He approaches a microphone.

"Mockingjay," he says clearly and slow.

"Voice identification authorized, welcome Gale Hawthorne," the computer says.

Sitting down, I see him start to work on the computer. Entering this and selecting that, really seems complicated. The institute started having computer training about ten years ago. In the district before the war, no one really learned computers; all we learned was about coal, the history of coal, how to cultivate it, what it is used for, and how to transport it safely that is what we would learn in school. We would laugh Katniss and me, trying to learn how to use a computer, but we learned the basics.

After a couple minutes the screen shows the Capitol symbol. I feel her hand tightens and I can tell that she is not exactly looking forward to the conversation. The screen turns black and then splits into two screens. There are two empty chairs and we can hear some sort of commotion in the background of both.

Finally one of the screens is filled with the President of Panem, President Mason. He sits down without saying a word. The president is a very quiet man, his strength lies in his ability to lead. Everyone in the districts that voted for him all say the same thing. That he is a person who believes in the unity of the people.

"Don't worry," Gale says. "Our camera is not turned on, and they do not know that you are here. So the question is you sure you want to do this?"

There it is, our way out. Gale has given something that the Capitol never did, a choice to say no.

"It is okay," she says. "Let's get this over with."

"Alright here goes nothing," he says flipping a switch.

"Agent Hawthorne is there something to report," he says.

"Yes, President Mason," he responds.

"Were you able to locate remains?" he says. "The people need some sense of closure."

He smiles.

"Done one better," he says. He turns and waves us over.

We start our walk and finally in plain view the camera picks up our image. The faces as his eyes pick our image are something between shock and joy. I think though there is a hint of anger there as well.

"How?" he asks.

"It is what we feared," he says. "The Fundamentalist where the ones behind the attack, which means that we have a leak inside."

His face changes to discomfort. It is obvious that he wasn't prepared to face the fact that someone inside the Capitol was part of the very enemy they have been fighting.

"Have you confirmed the leak," he asks.

We hear the footsteps from behind us and finally see Haymitch there.

"The boy," Haymitch says before correcting himself. "Peeta here showed me the symbol and told me that some girl drew it. So yes it has been confirmed."

"Visual confirmation is negative as the cameras were disabled," says Gale. "Katniss and Peeta have however tracked there location and we may have their central base located."

He stands and leans in to the camera. He is obviously angry enough that if it were up to him, he would level any location that we mention.

"Where?" he demands.

"At the edge," says Gale.

Is that where the place is called. It is appropriate I guess. The fact that it lies at the edge of all of Panem. The ocean is all that is left from that point. The rough waters of the untamed ocean.

"We searched there already," says the President.

"They have new information," he says.

It is odd but we do not have any new information. Why would he say something like that? The other screen comes alive and finally someone sits in front of the second camera. Everyone stops talking and finally the camera comes into focus at a much older woman. The dark hair and even darker eyes have added a sense of calm to our hearts.

"Why don't we hear from the Mockingjay," she says with a smile.

Gale stands and offers the chair to Katniss. Finally she walks towards the chair and sits down. Looking at the screen she moves her hair behind her ears clears her throat and finally begins to address the people in camera.

"President Paylor," she says. "How nice to see you."

"My dear girl, it is great to see you," she says. "What do you need?"

"A hovercraft and some weapons," she says.

She address President Mason.

"Richard, you know that I am a person that can be objective. From my experience with Katniss, I have found that she has saved this country more times than I can count. She is no traitor, and no spy. You and I well know why, and what she has had to sacrifice for this country. I trust her, so please just give her what she needs," she tells President Mason.

He clears his throat, and finally turns to an aide that is next to him.

"Do it; get her what she needs," he says and then the screen goes black.

Just like that, President Paylor has given her stamp of approval.

"Peeta, you and Katniss must visit soon," she says to me.

"You can count on it," I say. With that simple statement she says goodbye and the screen goes black. The computer says that the transmission has ended and we are left there us four looking at each other.

Haymitch stands and begins to head to the door. The old man finally came through. He must have scheduled this whole thing. Who knows probably he was the one who told Gale that we were back. It is what makes sense.

"Good luck sweetheart," he says patting her on the shoulder.

"We leave in the evening," I tell him. "Make sure you are ready by then."

It was the right thing to do. If we need anyone to be our eyes and ears in the air as we go into the unknown, he is the one. We sure have our history and our issues, but at the end of the day he has always had our back, in the arena, in the Quell, in the war, and now on this our last mission.

He throws us a small smirk before he nods to me.

"Okay kid," he says.

The door opens and closes.

Katniss grabs my hand and mouths the words thank you. I know that she feels comfortable knowing that Haymitch is there. If anything goes wrong I know that he will be there to get us out. Gale just stands there against the wall.

"I will let you too talk," I say to them.

If he is going to come, it has to come from her, not me. This will be something that they have to decide on. Walking out to the hallway there isn't anyone around. The hallways are the same as they were back then. I can still remember running away with her and ending up in the garden.

A couple of turns and I find myself back in the main hall where we danced there in the center of the stars. I can still hear it, the music, and her heart beats as we were so close to each other. I can smell the soft hint of the shampoo that she uses in her hair. It is faint but I have been getting better at picking her presence up.

Her hand slips in mines.

"Did I ever tell you the games that my mother and I would play?" I ask.

"No," she says.

"Well that is the thing that scares me," I say. "I don't know if it actually happened and my family isn't here to confirm it."

It is something that has been happening the last couple of months. I haven't really told her this, but I am forgetting my family. I struggle sometimes to relive memories of my brothers and my mother. I feel that I was loved, even if it was in their own special way.

"Tell me what you remember?" she says.

"I remember playing a game when I was five or so. We would pretend that we were somewhere else. We went everywhere, to the coast, to the mountains, everywhere," I say.

"Sounds nice," she says.

"It was," I say. "Although I don't know if it happened or not."

She walks close to me.

"Close your eyes," she says, which I do. "I want you to picture it. Start with you, imagine yourself at five, and how you were feeling that one time."

Closing my eyes I see the warmth in her eyes. The way she use to look at me, with such joy in her face. She always was an extreme person, either one way or another. Her laugh I can hear almost like an echo.

"Okay, so picture that day that you played that game with her," she says. It is funny that I can actually picture it, the day that we got towels from the closet and pretended that we were at the ocean coast of District Four. This of course quickly turned to a picnic in a clearing of the forest.

She places her hand on my chest.

"Do you feel it true here," she asks.

I know that in my heart it happen, so I nod yes.

"Trust in that," she whispers.

Opening my eyes I see her there with her hand still on my chest. I raise my hand to hers holding it, and finally kissing it.

"You truly are amazing," I say. "You know that?"

"I know," she says with a small smirk.

We walk back into the road out the front of Mayor's house. There isn't anyone there to greet us, so we walk as slow as we can down the row of trees that hug the road. It is the road that we walked that day, after all was said and done. After all the guest had left and the celebration had ended, they asked if they could take us in a car to the train station. We looked to each and nodded no, that we wanted to walk.

Along the road, the cold wind doesn't bother me anymore. The road although it seems very far from the main square, it doesn't scare me anymore. Her hand in my mine and all I know that she is there with me.

"So is Gale coming," I ask.

"I ask, but he doesn't know yet," she says.

"Thank you though," she says. "For understanding."

It is what she needs, to have someone familiar from her time before the Games. It is what keeps her still in the memory of her mother and her sister.

"Are you happy," she asks.

It is odd to hear it coming from her.

"Every moment of my life I am happiest when I am with you," I say.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

There is something special about District Twelve. We have always been a quiet people. Back before the war, we were always a people that stuck together. That always fought for the survival of the other. We were coal miners but we were proud of it.

We can see the square approaching and Katniss seems to begin to slow down even more. We hide our bows in our jackets, seeing how Gale is not with us, we are again left to fend for ourselves.

We have always been accepted by the people of District Twelve, even when Katniss was arrested and placed here to await trial. The square is not filled with people but we do walk without making any notice. The stores are open and due to the winter not many people are out.

There is a desire for me to go into the bakery but Katniss holds onto my hand tightly.

"After we get back," she says. "The Capitol would have to make an announcement."

A person walks by us so we lower our voices and turn along with the direction that the person was walking. From over her shoulder I see the couple stop and begin to look back before they shake their heads and continue walking towards the Seam.

Inside the bakery, all I could only see is that someone is sweeping up the inside of the store. We would do that to pass time, either that or do inventory and no one ever likes to do inventory. We walk up the path and to the Victor's village. The path has been neatly up, and even the sign has been recently painted. Once I see our house there is a sense of peace that over takes me.

Walking to the porch we both check the windows sneaking views through the blinds.

All of the sudden we hear a small step behind us.

"If you are here to loot, know that I was trained by both Hunger Games Victors and I have an arrow pointing straight at your head," someone says from behind us.

The small step and the voice and I know who it is.

"Now, if you were trained by both Hunger Games Victor you would know that taunting a bow strings gives a sort of distinct sound, almost like..." I say.

"Music," she and I both finish at the same time.

We both start to turn with our hands up and finally see a girl with blood shot red eyes and a knife in her hand.

"April," says Katniss.

The knife drops from her hand and makes a click sound as it hits the porch. Her face suddenly changes and a smile start to come alive in her face. She takes a step towards Katniss and then finally Katniss opens her arms which causes April to run into it.

She holds her and looks at me. I walk over to the knife and help them into the house. Once inside I quickly lock the door, and see that they are both whipping tears from their faces.

"I knew you weren't gone," she says.

They sit down on the sofa and finally there she takes a deep breath.

"We are not staying long, and where we are going it is too dangerous for you to come. But know this," she says. "That we will be back."

"But," she starts.

"April," Katniss cuts her off. "It will be okay we are not going anywhere."

She places her hand out to me. I grab and sit next to both of them.

"Yes the days of heroes are over," I say. "Have other priorities in our lives."

Katniss squeezes my hand and then a quick smile. It is what she wanted, it is what I wanted, we have come to terms that we have a different mind set now, and nothing is going to change it.

"I came here looking for a friend," says April. "And you have given me and my grandmother more than that, you have given us the ability to be a part of your family. Katniss, I was sorry to hear about your mother."

She nods and tells her that she will be in the stars looking down on us, protecting us. I tell them both that I will get some food started for them.

"Grandma has food, I can," she says.

"April," Katniss interrupts. "No one can know that we are here. We only came by to get some things and leave."

"Please," she says. "She hasn't been the same since we were told of the news that you were probably dead. It would help her so much..."

Katniss looks to me. It seems that the approval of this will fall in my shoulders.

"Please Uncle Peeta," she says.

"On one condition," I say. "And I need your word on this one."

That is the one thing that we all understand here in the District, when you give your word, when you promise something, you are duty bound to complete it. This is me, fighting for my family.

"Okay," she says.

"You cannot come where we are going. No hiding on board, no finding a way to come with...April you have to promise me that you will stay here," I say.

She stands up, obviously we all know each other quite well and this stops her from doing what we all know she was going to do. She finally stomps on the ground, and lets out a frustrated shout.

"Fine!" she says. "I give you my word that I will not go where you are going."

"And," I say.

"And I won't hide or find a way to tag along," she says in a mimicking voice. "There...happy?"

She walks to the front door.

"So," she says. "Coming?"

Katniss stands and I stand slowly, letting out a deep sigh.

"Now I understand," I say to Katniss.

"Understand what," she says.

"What my father meant when he said that when I have my own family I would understand," I say.

She leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I walk over to the closet and grab our black hooded winter coats. The real reason actually was to try and rest before we had to leave in a couple of hours. Guessing that won't be something that we have the ability to do now.

I hand her the coat and she graciously accepts it. In the closet she grabs a small brown bag and places it in her pocket.

Curious, wonder what is in that, I think to ,myself.

We walk quickly through the yard and to my old house. Then grey chimney smoke coming from the house and I know that Sae is out cooking. April runs into the house yelling out her grandmother's name. We pick up the pace and quickly inside the house before we see Sae run out of the kitchen with her apron still on.

She walks over to us and hugs us. She is muttering something into Katniss's ear which causes her to nod. Finally she comes over to me looking at me from head to toe.

"He would be so proud of you," she says.

Immediately I think of him. It has been a while since I have. People that knew him would sometimes say that I am looking more and more like him. I always wonder if that was just them being nice.

"You think so," I ask.

"Yeah," she says. "Well come you two, lets get you fed."

We walk with her to the kitchen where I see that she has been making food. The smells are so intoxicating that I can't help but to close my eyes and try to eat the food through my nose. We sit down and she serves us one of the most delicious foods that I have ever ate.

"Sae," Katniss says.

Sae is still tending to the large pot of beef stew that she has on the stove.

"Hey, I already know," she starts. "If the Capitol hasn't mentioned that you are alive and if you are here then you really are not here. Right?"

"It is...well...it is complicated," she responds.

"But we will clear everything up when we get back," I say.

"Back?" she says turning around. "Don't tell me that you are still letting them control your life. That you are going back out there to some nightmare that they have created?"

She turns around and obviously people from the Seam are very passionate people.

"She, wouldn't want this," she says. "You know that right?"

She is obviously upset. Katniss knows this and can only hold Sae there trying to come to terms of her leaving.

"It is something that we have to do," says Katniss.

Standing I walk over to the living room. April just sits there leafing through a book of pictures. I come up beside her.

"May I sit next to you," I ask her.

She motions that I could. I sit down next to her and can see the pictures of the many get togethers we had at the house. It is weird seeing how young we were and how much April has grown and yet how I cannot see as anything other than that little girl all those years ago.

I stop her hand on a page.

"You remember when this was taken?" I say.

She lets out a small laugh.

"You mean the day you almost burned down the house?"

"Hey," I say. "Honest mistakes."

"For a fifth generation baker," she says with a tone. "As I remember you were distracted."

I was distracted. It seemed that at that moment she decided to sign with April the valley song, which of course didn't help me any. So that night we ate some very burnt bread.

"In my defense, you and Katniss sounded so beautiful that I couldn't help to be distracted," I say.

"You know," she says. "I am still mad at you."

"I know," I say. I lean in and kiss her on her head. "I just love you too much kiddo to put you in danger."

She bumps into me playfully. Turning the page there is a picture of her on my shoulders. These are the moments that I wish to remember forever. Turning one more page there is where I see it, but it can't be.

"You kept this?" I ask.

"It was the first one you made. It was the first one anyone has made for me," she says.

The folded up airplane that I had made for her and Liam all those years ago. She kept it, all these years, here in the scrap book of memories that was holding onto.

"I will come back," I say. "We will come back."

I start to flip through the empty pages of the album.

"We have to still fill all these pages," I say.

She smiles.

"You know, you make it hard to stay mad at you," she says.

"I have heard," I say.

I feel Katniss hand on my shoulder. Looking up and I know that it is time to go. I stand and April stands with me, she holds onto me and then finally lets me go before walking over to Katniss and holds her too. I turn and see Sae there looking at us from the kitchen.

She lifts her hand as a wave and I do the same.

We walk out to the porch and finally begin to walk towards Haymitch's house. I notice that she closes her jacket a little bit tighter. Grabbing her hand she looks at me.

"Just a little cold," she says.

We walk to Haymitch's house and finally once inside we see that the house continues to be well kept.

"Haymitch," I yell out.

We here a commotion in the kitchen and see that Haymitch is grabbing his jacket.

"Ready old man?" I ask.

He tosses me a duffel bag which I have to position as it is quite heavy.

"Weapons you request," he says. "Hovercraft is landing at the edge of the Victor's Village. Your cousin told me that they were be picking us up in an hour. So they should be here in a couple minutes."

This time around I guess we are not hiding ourselves from possible spies. Haymitch grabs another bag and walks out. Seems like the old man is sober and in a mood. Once we are outside I see the hovercraft beginning to descend pass the empty houses. We walk out the porch and see we have another person joining us.

"You made her promise," he says. "You didn't tell me that I couldn't go."

Liam stands there ready to go. The splitting image of Finnick stands before us bag over his shoulder.

"And April is okay with this," says Katniss.

"She actually called me and told me," he says.

Haymitch walks back.

"What is the hold up," he says. "You Finnick's boy no?"

He nods.

"Well come on, where we are going you might be useful," says Haymitch.

Before either of us can object he reminds us of where we are going.

"If we are going to the edge," he says. "We will definitely need someone that can swim."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The hovercraft descends behind the last house and then finally as we round around the empty houses we find nothing there. Haymitch looks around and then smirks. Grabbing a pebble, he tosses it to the empty space and then hears the clunk of the metal surface of the hovercraft. The craft appears out of no where and finally as we go inside we find that Gale is piloting the craft. He looks back to us and smiles.

"On second thought Catnip, think I will join you," he says. "Just have to get use to the stealth mode."

"Can you fly this thing," asks Haymitch.

"Just like riding a bike," he responds. "But seriously took countless number of flight hours, so we should be good to go."

The door closes and we all take our seats. Haymitch goes up to the co-pilot seat. The uplift is a little rough and we had to look to each other and wonder if Gale really knows how to pilot this craft. He calls in his coordinates to the Capitol and finally we begin to move forward.

Her hand presses on mine and I know that she is a little bit nervous on where we are going. We really do not know what we are getting into. They could very well have an army, and we four are not going to do much against an army.

It usually takes about thirty minutes or so to make it to the arena site. So probably in about forty five minutes we should be at the coast line. Closing my eyes I guess I still having issues trying to keep calm on hovercrafts. I feel her hand start to caress mine and I try to focus on other things.

Starting to hear the beeping sound of the transmitter, I hear her whisper.

"We are almost there," she says. "Try to think of the ocean coast. Remember those times in District Four? The sunsets?"

The images of District Four and I can see her there on the sand watching the sunset. It was a fun day at the ocean, but it is also a sad one because we went with Katniss's mother.

I open my eyes and I look at hers. She smiles and tries to hold herself from reacting to the turbulence that we are now experiencing. The ship starts to swerve left and right, and we have to look towards the front of the ship.

Suddenly Gale comes onto to the microphone.

"Taking enemy fire," he says. "Prepare for emergency landing. Capitol control, Capitol control, we are at coordinates thirty five degrees north, seventy eight degrees west. Currently we are seventy five miles east of the mountain line."

The hovercraft starts to go to one side and then to another. Looking at the glass I see that the shots are coming from the ground and not the air. It is true then. The Fundamentalists are down there, hiding.

"Confirmed," they respond. "We have you tracked. We will be sending additional assistance."

He turns back.

"Guys, brace for impact," he says. "I am going to try and land us as close as possible."

"Capitol control, Capitol control," he says. "Taking enemy fire, evasive maneuvers are proving to be ineffective. Currently we are one hundred miles east of the mountain line. Going to set down craft, confirm tracking."

"Confirmed, current position has been logged," they respond.

A quick jerk to the left and I feel Katniss's hand loosen. I strengthen my grip and yell at her.

"Do not let go."

Her eyes stay with mines.

"Don't you say it," I say to her. "You told me to fight, and I am. You do the same."

She nods and closes her eyes.

The touchdown is as rough as we can experience. If we were not secured in our chairs we would have easily been thrown around like a rag doll. The blurriness of the hovercraft and I know that my head must have hit something.

My eyes take a little time to regain focus until finally I hear the beeping sounds of the hovercraft. My hands feel like it might have hit the wall of the hovercraft as they are hand to close. I can still feel her hand though clutched in mine. I turn my head slowly and see that she is still there safely harnessed in the chair.

I shake her hand and finally her eyes open.

"We have to go," I say.

She nods and looks down to the safety harness. She unclips the harness and finally tries to stand but is dizzy so she falls to her knees. My hand fumbles around finally unclips the harness.

The pounding headache is all I can feel before I am on my hands and knees crawling towards her. The electrical sparks causes both of us to close our eyes for a couple for a couple of seconds before we reach for each other. Once I have in my arms, I look around and see that Liam is knock out and Gale and Haymitch are already trying to move around.

"Get Liam," I yell out to Gale. "Haymitch, get the supplies."

I open the door that is still operational. Once outside I see that we landed in a field surrounded by a forest. I drag Katniss out to a nearby tree and finally place her down.

"Going to get our weapons," I say. "Stay here okay."

She nods as I walk or stumble back into the hovercraft. I see that both Gale and Haymitch have helped Liam out and can see that Haymitch has the supplies.

"Going to get the weapons," I say.

Gale hands Liam over to Haymitch and follows me into the hovercraft. In the back of the hovercraft I see the crate and we work our way back to get it. Once we are there we finally are able to get the heavy crate out of the hovercraft.

Finally we both just fall in exhaustion there.

"Can't stay long," Gale says in between breathes. "They will be here to check for survivors."

It is the thought that I roll over to my hands and knees.

"We have to go," I say. "Time to get up Gale."

He rolls over and then finally we try and stand. I walk over to her and see that her eyes are open.

"You okay," I say.

She nods.

"Can you stand?" I ask.

She tries to stand and finally I have to help her on her two feet. Doesn't look too good, seems like the only ones that are able to stand is Gale, Haymitch and myself.

"No good," I say to Gale. "We are going to have to hide until we nightfall."

We look around and find some old buildings in the distance. Looking at Haymitch, we tell him to get the supplies there. I have Katniss place her arm around my shoulders and with my other arm I grab the handle for the weapon's crate. Liam does the same with Gale and we slowly walk off to the building that is about fifty feet away.

The trees offer some cover as we finally get into the building and into one of the rooms that Haymitch had prepared. There is one window and one door which can easily be defended.

Katniss sits down and finally Gale goes into the supplies and finds the medical scanner. He turns it on and scans Liam and Katniss.

"Concussions," he says. "Mild ones, but still."

Walking over to the weapons crate I open it and see what we have to work with. Two bows, an array of different types of arrows, more than likely explosives. Pistols, as well as shot guns, with a half dozen claymores and time explosives.

The headache is so intense that I have to put up my hands to my head. Looking at the ground I see that the vision goes to blurred and I have to close my eyes for a couple of seconds before I can open them. Once I open my eyes I see it come back into focus. Turning around I see that Gale is already tending to Liam whose is already awake.

Grabbing a gun, I make my way to the window and look out for any movement. It has been about an hour or so since we have been shot down. If they had a large force they would be getting to the crash site right about now. It could mean only one thing. We have to prepare ourselves for a gun fight.

There are some goggles in the crate which I get out and put on. They are different setting on the side and these I can operate easily as they are not the advance visors but the ones that we had back in District Thirteen. Zooming into the area of the crash site, I switch to thermal imaging and find that there is no movement and no heat signatures.

Probably we have more time to prepare.

"No signatures," I say out to Haymitch and Gale. "What is the plan?"

I see Haymitch grab the sniper rifle and begin to go upstairs.

"I am on COMs 3," he yells back.

Gale comes and grabs a bow and a gun.

"Going to take the window," he says. "See what our escape path would be."

He walks over to the window that is at the front of the building. Walking over to Katniss she is coming to. I hand her a gun placing a COM set over her ears.

"You okay to shoot?" I ask.

She nods. I kiss her on the forehead.

"Shoot straight," I say.

"You too," she says.

Walking over to Liam, I hand him another gun.

"You back her up," I say.

He nods and they both get up. They walk a little bit gingerly as I walk out of the room. If we can make it to the night time we can hide in the nearby buildings.

Grabbing a gun for myself and another bow I walk to the back of the burnt out building. I wonder about what this use to be. It shows that it might have been sleeping quarters. Could this be from before the dark days? Could the building be a place where District Thirteen retreated to, before the Capitol came to bomb the district?

Looking out, I start to make my way through the afternoon sunlight. There is a housing development about a couple of block away. We can make camp in one of the homes there.

"No contact," I say over the COMs. "Rear is clean."

"Copy," Gale says. "Flank is clean, no movement."

"Copy," Haymitch says. "Crash site clean, no movement. Base camp, we need to move in five, clean containment, copy?"

There is a silence.

"Base camp, copy?" Haymitch repeats.

"Base camp, confirmed, clean containment in five," says Katniss.

I walk backwards and finally up the steps to the find that Katniss has already separated the remaining weapons and ammunition into the packs and the supplies in two smaller packs.

"You okay?" I say.

"We are ready to go," she says. "And I will live. We need to get moving."

I grab the packs and hear that Gale is coming into the building.

"So," he says.

"East, about two clicks is a housing development," I say. I hear Haymitch coming down the stairs. "Best location for a dispersed camp."

Dispersed camp is set up to allow for a bottle neck defense. Have three sites surrounding an easily defendable location. If we are in one location, then we can be easily trapped with no escape. If we are dispersed then we can escape in many different locations, or creating diversions for the others.

"How far are we from our primary," says Haymitch to Gale.

"Best estimates," he says. "We can make it by tomorrow mid-day. It is past the housing development."

I wonder what is to hold for us after the development. From what I can remember it about a hundred homes or so, even if we go slowly, would it take just a half of day?

"So what are we waiting for?" I say picking up my pack and Katniss's.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The sun light is slowing decreasing from the trees. The soft snow is almost as hard as the ground beneath it. It hasn't really been snowing all that much. I take point and can see that Katniss is following with the bow ready to let fly an arrow. We move slowly as most of us are still suffering from the crash. I think also it helps to keep a slower pace for Haymitch who hasn't really seen any physical activity since the war.

The packs are heavy and causes me to quickly breath a little deeper. Katniss walks over to me.

"I can take it," she says.

I shake my head no.

"I rather you have nothing on you to be able to shoot cleaning," I say. "Plus we are almost there."

The streets are empty and deserted. Old cars are littered throughout the street, covered with snow. We each pick a house on the next side street over, Gale and Liam in one house and me and Katniss in the other. Haymitch takes the two story house at the far end, completing the circle.

"Keep radio chatter to a minimum," says Haymitch. "First contact and we move to the opposite direction. Clear your escape route and make sure that we all have the ability to get there. If we separate, then we will meet at the coast line by the end of tomorrow. If by the end of tomorrow you do not show up, then we will see you in the other life."

We all nod and move to our positions.

The house that we chose is a one story house. There is one large window that is where the living room is located. Walking towards the back kitchen and through the outside door, I see that the next houses have no fences so we would have no problem making it east. Walking back, I see that she has already set everything up. When I see that everything is in position, I sit down.

She walks over to me.

"Are you okay," she says.

"Little bit of a headache," I tell her. "But I will be fine. How about you?"

I check her head and find no lacerations or bleeding. Last time Gale checked it was a mild concussion. I open the bag with the medical supplies and get out a cold pack that when shaken the blue liquid turns cold. I place the cold pack on her head.

"Sit for a little bit," I say. "We have some time before any movement."

She sits next to me with the ice pack on her head. She makes a soothing sound as it lies there on her forehead.

"Don't you just love our vacations?" I say laughing.

"Enough to never want another vacation ever," she says laughing back.

I grab her hand and can see that probably some of my fingers are broken as it hurt like heck to try and close my hand. She sees that I winch and checks my hand.

"Seems like you have a couple broken fingers," she says. "Going to pop them back in. You might want to hold onto to something."

Closing my eyes, I think the pain of them popping back in is as bad as getting shot.

"Sorry," she says.

A couple of minutes pass and finally open my eyes. I move the fingers and although they still hurt, I can finally close my hand all the way. Keeping my mind active I go over checking the weapons that we have, two pistols, one shot gun, and two bows.

"How many explosives do we have?" I ask.

She looks into the pack and sees that we have three time explosives.

Grabbing the thermal goggles, I crawl over to the window and turn them on. Looking around I do not see anyone just yet. Two houses down across the street that is where Gale and Liam is. Turning my head I look up the street to the two story house. No movement there either.

I finally move back slowly as to not attract any sound.

"Nothing," I say. "I will take the first watch."

"Don't think I can sleep," she says.

"Well at least close your eyes," I say.

She places herself facing the rear of the house. We take turns just talking about things that keep us awake. It isn't a couple of hours before, I hear Katniss drift off to sleep. I grab the empty pack and roll it up placing it under her head. As I move away, she grabs my hand.

"Just going to close my eyes for a little bit," she says. "Wake me up in an hour."

Looking out I see the stars begin to come out. There is no moon tonight so the darkness is all encompassing. After thirty minutes passed I put on the infrared goggles. Finally crawling towards the window, I turn them on, and for a second my heart stops.

I see them approaching Haymitch's house.

"Contact made," I said over the COMs. "Nest you are about to have company over for dinner."

"Visual confirmed," says Haymitch. The next thing that I know, an explosion jars the housing development. Turning around Katniss comes to, and she is immediately armed with the gun in her hand.

"We have to go," I say.

Her eyes open wide.

"Who," she says.

"The nest," I say. "We have to get going, east."

I grab her hand and the packs, making a dash for the kitchen. I can feel her hesitation, in leaving Gale, Liam and Haymitch. It is what I first felt in my heart, to fight, but we all know that we chose this configuration to make for a quick escape.

"He will meet us," I say. "Trust me."

She finally runs ahead.

"Twenty minute burst," she yells back. It is our code for how far to run before we stop. The dark night and the fact that we are running without knowing where are going doesn't help the fact that Gale and Liam would be running near us but a couple of minutes behind us.

We can still hear the gun fire, and know that Haymitch is still giving us enough time to get away. His plan worked and we are about an hour east of his position before we finally stop.

There is only static on the COMs. A fear washes over us. What if we are the only two to make it?

She tests the COMS on different channels.

Nothing.

Static is the only thing we hear. There is a nearby store, or what looks like a store and all I can do is break into the door. We had to get out of the open.

Finally closing the door behind us.

"Peeta," she says. "Nothing."

"Don't worry," I say. "They will make it. We are almost at the coast. How is your head?"

"Better," she says. Turning to the side she vomits into the room.

"Sorry," she says. "My head is fine, but the little one in here probably is nauseous enough with all this running."

I open my pack and hand her my water. She drinks a little bit of water, before she places it on the floor.

"We will rest here for a little bit," I say. "I am pretty sure that we are ahead of them."

Looking outside there is no movement, there is nothing. I place on the goggles and look around and find that there is no one, no heat signatures at all. It does beg the question, are we moving in the right direction. I take out the compass and find that the arrow points towards the east. I wonder though how far we are from the coast. Coming back to her I feel her head and find that she is a little bit warm.

She sits down, and I see that soon enough she won't be able to do this anymore until our child is born.

The static cuts the thoughts in my head until finally it sounds like someone is picking up the radio.

"Hello," someone says with a song in her voice. "Someone there?"

I nod my head no. Whoever it is either is on our frequency or has one of our radios. If it is the latter then one of our own has been captured or killed.

"Well if no one is there, then that means that this little old man here belongs to nobody," she says in a childish voice. "It seems like we are just going to have to put you out of your misery old man, I mean no one is claiming you."

She hums something through the open radio. It is bait. She is trying to get us to say something. She is trying to gauge a reaction.

"I am a little puzzled, how did you get all the way out here on a Capitol Hovercraft," she says. "Well I guess some mysteries are not meant to be solved. Good bye."

Just then we hear the recoil of a gun being loaded and then the gun shot over the radio.

Static.

Could it be real? Has Haymitch just been killed?

Katniss walks up to the radio.

"No," I say. "It is a trick."

She opens a channel.

"Whoever this is, know this, that I will gun you down like the coward that you are," she says with a serious tone.

"Oh oh oh," she says. "There she is, Panem's little mockingjay. I was only joking; the old man is still here, alive and kicking. I am not a murderer; I don't kill people for fun, unlike someone I know."

Whoever this is, she knows Katniss when she mentioned the mockingjay and killing people but it was never for fun it was for survival.

"What's that? Hello?" she says. "Avox's got your tongue, especially the red hair ones."

She grips the radio tighter. It is enough to remind her of the games, but to remind her of the Avoxes that we had in our Training Center. She knows us more privately than what we thought. The other information anyone could have known it. This one though it is only someone who would have access to this. A gamemaker? Who could it be? Could this be the person who placed the rose in our home?

"Or maybe," she says with a devilish tone. "The poor little baker boy is having one of his reactions."

The blood begins to rise and I know that this girl is trying to get a response from me.

"What do you want?" she says over the radio.

"To say hello of course, I am such a fan," she says. "Tomorrow I hear it is going to be a beautiful day to see the ocean. You should really think about coming to see it. Don't worry none of my friends will stop our little get together. Oh and make sure that you bring the baker boy with you, would love to meet him as well."

The radio goes silent and then finally static.

"A trap," I say.

"Do we have a choice?" she says.

The radio comes back to life.

"Oh, I am sorry," the person on the radio says. "Something I forgot to say. He mentioned something about sweetheart. Wait let me get him for you."

There is a sound of a struggle and then finally.

"Say it or else, you will be punished," she says playfully.

"Follow my advice, don't do it, it is a trap," says Haymitch clearly through the radio.

"Well of course it is a trap silly," she says. "But don't think they have a choice."

The radio goes silent and finally Katniss turns it off. They have him. It is the only thing that we needed confirmation that they had him.

She comes out to the street and finally looks up and down the street.

"They are not coming for us," she says.

It is the same thing that the Capitol had always done. They take our love ones to get us to do what they want. Tomorrow we will have to make it to the coast and finally figure out who has been hunting us.

"I promise you this," she says. "We are coming after them."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

All we have left is the ability to manipulate. That is something that Haymitch taught for the Quarter Quell. The situation does not dictates how you act, you control it not your surroundings. Thinking back on what Haymitch said and I can't help but to think that probably he was giving us a sign.

"Listen to my advice, don't do it, it is a trap."

I look at her, and I am pretty sure that she is trying to come up with a plan. Some sort of strategy that we were taught, or learned from hunting. She just stands there looking out to the dark sky. I walk over to her and place my arms around her.

She looks back, and closes her eyes.

"Got any ideas?" I say.

"We give up," she says.

Looking at her I am a little confused on what she just said.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"If they want us, let them have us," she says.

The plan starts to come into shape. It is a rather simple strategy. We don't really know where the base is of these Fundamentalists, so by letting ourselves be captured then we find out where they are. The only thing is once we are captured how do we free ourselves?

"Gale," I say. "He is the key to this working."

She nods.

If Gale is alive, then he could easily track us and then come and get us. The person on the radio never mentioned Gale or Liam, so could be that they don't know that they exist.

"Was Haymitch letting you know?" I say. "Because I could never get his hints."

She smiles.

"Somewhat," she says. "Like the word, 'listen' that is what he wanted us to do to listen to what he was going to say. From our normal reaction, what would you do?"

Looking at her, I smile and almost laugh.

"Do the opposite," I say.

"Exactly," she says. "So 'don't do it,' really means 'do it.' Because we all know that it is a trap."

"It is like trying to read in a new language, or trying to understand Mags," I say.

She lets out a laugh remembering how difficult it was to even understand Mags.

"It has been years since I thought of her," I say. The thought brings me some sadness, remembering how she died saving me. We lost a lot of good people along the way. The pain has crept up without even knowing, without even wanting it. My eyes begin to water. The emptiness of my heart right now is enough to cause me to lose the smile on my face.

She walks over to me, placing her arms around me.

"Sorry," I say. "Don't know what came over me."

"The same thing that came over me," she says. "We all try to not think of them, but they are everywhere."

There are the memories of all the good people that we lost. Then there are people who gave up their lives first for the war that we inspired, and others that gave their lives so that we could live.

"Get some rest," I tell her. "It will be fine. No one is coming for us tonight. They will be waiting for us tomorrow."

She lies down with me, and instead of falling asleep we spend some time talking.

"Tell me something beautiful," she says.

I have to think about it for a little bit. All we have seen in the last month or so is death. It is probably why she asked me to tell her anything beautiful because all we can remember causes us to wish for it.

"Can it be something that will happen?" I ask.

"Okay," she says.

"Well I had a dream a couple of days ago," I start to say. "I was in the baby's room, making a crib."

She lets out a laugh.

"Well I think that is the only thing that we should get from the District or even the Capitol," she says. "Remember the bench last year?"

I let out a shock look, but truly it was the funniest thing. There was another bench that I made, and placed it on the other side of the house. It took me hours to copy the same one that we made back when we first moved to our home. She came out with a glass of lemonade. I hear her footsteps coming towards me. Turning around she hands me the glass. Looking at the bench she started to walk around it.

"Hmmm, I don't know Peeta," she says. "It looks a little off."

I turn back and look at it. It doesn't look any different than the other one.

"What?" I say. "It looks like the other one."

I walk over and sit in it. Looking at her I let out a laugh.

"See," I say. "Come and sit next to me."

She looks at it again and finally after some hesitation she sits down.

It isn't five minutes that pass that we don't hear a crack and the whole thing comes crashing down. At first there is a silence that is quickly cut by her laughter. This of course causes me to laugh.

"Think we both need to go on a diet," I say.

She stops laughing.

"Probably you do," she says.

The way she laughs now it is almost like she forgot where we were. Almost like she forgot what has happened, and what we have to do tomorrow.

"Thank you," she says.

"Well laughing at my expense is my specialty," I say.

She grabs my hand and places it on her stomach.

"Someone wants to say hi," she says in a whisper.

That is when I feel the movement along her stomach.

"Tsk tsk tsk, way way way past bedtime," I say. "We will have to have a long talk about that when we get back home."

She nods and agrees with me.

"Here that?" she says. "That is your daddy, trying to act all macho, but I know that like me, you will have him wrapped around your finger."

It is basically true, but of course I would never admit it.

"Get some sleep," I say kissing the top of her head. "I will wake you up in two hours."

She starts to make a fuss on how she has slept almost the entire night and that I have to be exhausted. She tells me that she is fine and that she can let me sleep until it is morning. All that is true, that I am exhausted, and that she slept most of the night. It is true that she can probably stay awake until morning, but there is one thing that she said that isn't true

She is not fine. The thought that somewhere someone is doing who knows what to Haymitch, reminds her of me. I saw that face that she did when she found out that it was Haymitch. It was probably the same face she did, the same emotions that she is feeling when I was tortured. If she stayed up, she would be tortured herself, with the feeling that this is her fault, that she could have done something differently to prevent this.

She couldn't have. That is the horrible thing about it all. This is happening because it has to. After a couple of minutes of back and forth she finally realizes that I am not going to give in, and finally closes her eyes.

The whole night is actually quite peaceful when you know that no one is coming for you, or outside there is nothing that can harm you. After two hours I wake her up and go to sleep for the last remaining two hours. It goes to say that when I wake up and see that our packs are already packed and ready to go that she is anxious to get this over with.

Walking over to her I examine her reaction to see if the concussion is still there and find that all of her reaction is almost normal.

"Clean bill of health?" she says.

"Almost," I say. "Might want to take it easy."

She smiles and asks me to help her with her pack. I place her pack on her back and finally we walk outside. The day is cool, and uneventful. We make good time when we are not checking for anyone following us.

If I am thinking about Liam and Gale, it means that somewhere Katniss is doing the same. Those are the only two guys that we would want to have following us. We look for signs that we are being followed, but find none. It isn't until we start to hear the waves crashing that we realize that we are close enough to the shore.

The sand isn't like the sane in District Four, which hardly ever see a winter. The sand here is crunchy; it is like the sand was frozen in time and the colors just lie there.

We look at the water, and the sand and find that there is absolutely nothing here. The edge as it is called is just a shore of nothing. Looking out to the ocean and we see that there is nothing different to it.

"Peeta?" she says.

I look at her.

"Where?"

Looking up the coast all we see is an old light house.

"There," I say pointing at it.

We start to walk up to it. The old thing looks like it has been here since time started. Looking around, I don't see the evidence of anyone ever being here. I start to slow down and can see that she is in no position to slow down.

I catch up to her and as we approach the light house, the sheer size of it, is daunting. It looked so small from far away, I guess that was just an optical illusion. There is only one door, and above it is a sign.

'To find the light, one must walk to the edge of darkness.'

She bangs on the door.

"Hey," she says. "We are here."

We wait for something a noise from inside. She presses her ear against the door.

She motions no noise.

I grab the gun from out of the pack and shoot at the lock. Once off the door easily opens and we find a staircase that leads up into the light house. I walk up the steps a couple of steps and that is when I hear it.

Silence. No coming footsteps.

I look back and see that she isn't there. I turn hurry back down and see that she is coming up the steps.

"What took you so long," I say.

"Don't want to talk about it," she says.

"Katniss," I say obviously worried.

"Okay," she says. "I had to vomit again, okay. The whole idea of dying kinda leaves my stomach a little queasy."

I smile and just then I hear something click.

"The door," she says as she runs back and sees that the door is locked.

"No good," she says. "Locked."

Feedback comes over the speakers and we both look up to the speakers.

"Welcome, welcome," the voice says. "So glad you could make it to our little home. Sure it is cramped but we are waiting for you at the top of these very stairs."

We start to move up the steps little by little and find a door at the top.

"Oh and by the way," she says. "Please leave your weapons outside the door before you come in."

She looks at me and I look at her. Do we have a choice? Not like they would have let us go inside with our weapons. I lower my gun on the step outside and tell her to do the same. She starts to lower her gun and finally after a little hesitation she leaves it on the step

"Lovely," the voice says. "You may now enter."

Looking up I still cannot find the camera. There has to be one, after all, how else would they know that we had weapons or that we were right outside the door.

The door clicks and then finally we open the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The door opens and we find it empty. There is no one there, but two chairs. The view of the ocean from the light house is something that I wish I could just freeze and paint. In the center of the room is a large light that is all rusted up. This place hasn't been used in a very long time. Where is everyone, where are the soldiers?

I see her walk up to the old light.

"Do me a favor and take a seat, someone will be right with you," the voice says over the speakers.

Looking around I don't see how anyone can be hiding anywhere. There is only one way into this room and we came up it. If anyone is going to come in, it would be from the same steps, we would hear them coming. I place my hands on the seat and see that it is a very coming chair, nothing really that different. Looking under it and I find that there are no wires, no extra mechanicals underneath.

"So," she says to me.

"Looks normal," I say.

Her face looks as if she doesn't really know. Well if we are going to go into the lion's den we would have to do what they ask. So I walk over to the chair and sit in it.

She walks over to her chair and places the pack on the ground next to the chair before she sits down. The sensation is something that I am quite familiar with. I can feel it coursing through my palms and then through my arms and chest. It only takes a couple of seconds but by the time I try to stand, it is no use. The electrical charge has frozen us both on the chairs.

There are loud mechanical clamps that cause the whole floor to rattle before I see the field of vision slowly lower. I should have known. Just like all the Capitol government bases, they have taken that as a design. Of course there were no soldiers up top, where we are going is exactly what the sign said.

'To find the light, one must walk to the edge of darkness.'

That is where we are heading we are heading to the edge of darkness.

The platform continues down for at least five minutes and all I can think of is the first night in the detention center. They will be waiting for us. The platform exist the tube and we are in this large dome like structure. Cannot move my head to see what is coming but from the noise I hear it might be a couple dozen of them coming to greet us.

The platform finally slows down and comes to a complete stop. That is where we see them. It is a crowd of them just there staring at us, guns pointed.

"No one fires a single shot," one says. "The Director's order is that they are to be brought in alive."

They surround us, and finally the electrical field is taken off. They throw restraints at our feet.

"Put them on," one of the guards says. "Slowly."

What is the plan now? As soon as we are restraint they will probably separate us. If we are going to do something then it has to be now. I look over to her and can see that she is one knee picking up the restraints. She turns her head slightly and our eyes meet.

She gives me a slight crooked smile and then a distinctive wink.

"Say," she says picking up the restraints. "Do you guys have the time?"

"Put on, the restraints," they say louder and I can hear the clicks of the safety come off. "You have five seconds to do it."

"Okay, okay," she says. "I just wanted to know the time. You can't even indulge a girl with the time."

One of the other guards look at us. He removes his lower hand from the gun.

"You have a watch on," he says pointing it out to Katniss. "What are you trying to do?"

She looks over to me.

"This old thing got banged up in the explosion, stopped working after five minutes," she says "But okay, if you don't want to tell me."

Explosion? There wasn't an explosion, there wasn't even a fire. That is when it hits me. She is trying to me about the timed explosives that we had in our packs, a timed explosion in five minutes.

"Well honey," I say. "My watch says that it is ten o four in the morning."

Just then the alarm starts to go off and the rumbling begins. The guards look up to see what is going on. Everything slows down. I look around and see that everyone is distracted, everyone but her. She is more focus on what she had to do. It is almost if we are hunting and we are acting on pure instinct. It is as if our movements tell the other what to do. She looks my way and I know that this is it. This is it our diversion, Katniss has given us a chance. As if on cue I look to the nearest guard and quickly grab the gun pulling it towards me causing the guard to meet my fist with his face. Pulling the gun down and then around I am able to grab the gun and fire a signal shot into the guards chest. He falls to the ground holding onto the wound. I look quickly to the right and see the guard that Katniss is dealing with and she has already gotten his gun and is running towards me to take cover behind the crates.

"You okay," I yell at her.

She nods and looks down to her watch.

"We have to make it to that door, the second explosive is about to go off," she yells. Turning around I see the door, and find that we have to make it.

"You ready?" I say. "Cover fire, you go I will be right behind you."

She stands and makes a run for it. Firing at the guards that are coming towards, they quickly stop and find cover. Standing and running right behind her, I continue to fire towards the location of the guards. My heart begins to beat faster and faster, my lung tries to get air deeper and deeper. Every step that she does echoes in my mind as I focus on her and not the danger that is coming.

The second explosion is closer than the first one and all of the sudden the ground shakes and we are both thrown to the ground.

"Keep going," she yells at me, as I start to hear the roar of something.

I stand up and grab her from behind, lifting her to her feet. I would hate to turn around to see what I already know what is coming. She can still run faster than me, I tell you even after all these years.

The door has got to be open, I think to myself. We are only a couple of feet away when I see her reach for the handle turn it and the door flies open. She is turning around to close the door when I run pass her.

The water rushes passed us and into the small room. I turn and help her close the door that is quickly filling the room. The boom on the door as it is closed and I know that the pressure has to be intense. This door may not hold.

The water is cold and immediately cuts at you like a thousand knives hitting you all at once.

We turn and see the next door that has many handles and a wheel on it.

"Must be water sealed," she says. "Here help me open it."

We work on the handles and find that they easy open and when all the handles are opened. I start to try and turn the wheel. With everything that I have I try to move it and find that the door wheel won't move

She walks over and tries to help me open it and when we can't. We look back and see the water starting to leak from the seals.

"Door isn't going to hold," she says.

I look at the rifle floating and it gives me an idea.

"Pass me the rifle," I say. "I have an idea."

She grabs the rifle and hands it to me. I walk over to the wheel and jam it into one of the spokes. I try to turn it by placing my feel on the wall and pushing. She walks over and helps by placing her hands on the rifle and finally we see the wheel start to creak.

"Come on," she says straining.

Finally the wheel moves and the door click.

"Quick get on the other side," I say.

She takes out her gun and walks to the other side. Walking behind her I close the door and begin to twist the wheel until I hear the click and then see the handles all position themselves to the locked position.

Shivering, that is the only word that I can come up with. We need to get out of these wet clothes. Hypothermia is something that we do not want to get because you quickly go into shock.

Turning around I see her walking very quietly through the dark hallway. She is a couple of feet down. There are a couple of doors to the left of us. As she passes one of the doors, we continue to move down the hall until with warning the alarm begins to blare.

"Intruder alert," the robotic voice comes over the speakers. Guess opening the door has allowed them to know where we are.

We quickly walk down the hallway and find that the guards' footsteps are loud and echo in an empty hallway. Turning, I see Katniss open a door to one of the adjoining rooms. Once inside we see boxes all packed up ready to move. Could it be that they are moving their base of operations?

"Damnit," she says. "Trapped."

My main concern is her as I see that she is trying to keep her breathing steady. I begin to open the boxes and see nothing of value. Throwing the boxes aside, I see that they are labeled. Opening the last couple of boxes I find a change of clothes. I hand her two of the shirts and she wipes herself down with one and puts on the other. There is something about the material that I remember but I can't quite figure out from where.

She looks at the material and feels it.

"Odd material," she says.

I put on one of the shirts as well and find that they keep heat very well. Now that we are clothed we see the trail of water and know that if anyone comes down the hallway that we were in, they would know what room we went into, I know I would.

Looking up I do not see any air vents however there is a cool air being pumped into the room. There has to be a vent somewhere. I start to move the boxes out of the way. Looking along the walls to try and find our escape. She catches on and begins to help me move the boxes over to one side trying to not make a sound.

Finally alongside the far wall we find the air vent.

"What do you think?" I say pointing towards the vent.

"Only way to go," she says.

I kneel and work off the vent. The space is large enough for both of us to crawl through. Once inside, we start to move very slowly down the vent and finally after about thirty minutes the alarm is quieted.

"If we are going to play hide and seek," the voice comes over the speaker. "Then know that I still have something that you want."

We stop.

"What is your ammo count," she asks.

"I am out, you?" I say.

She nods her head no.

"Twenty minutes," the voice says over the speaker. "That is what you have to come to the observation deck; if not then I am afraid we can no longer guarantee that your little friend here will be there. Tick tock, tick tock"

Observation deck. That is our location but only one problem; we do not know the layout of the building.

"From what I think all observation decks are up?" she says looking at me.

"Makes sense," I say. "Lets go up."

We make our way up to the next level and finally up to the highest level in the air vents. Crawling slowly through the vents we found an empty room to get into.

I take out my knife and walk over to the door. While lying on the ground I place the knife on the edge of the door. The reflection shows me two guards walking away from our current location.

I turn back and show her two fingers and make the direction of where they are walking.

"Take down, quickly and get information from the other," she whispers.

I nod, and stand.

"Ready," she says.

I nod and we quickly walk into the hallway and down the hall to the two guards. With my knife I dig it in his neck which causes him to fall to the ground, lifeless.

Katniss places the knife on the other's neck.

"One question and one answer," she says. "Get it wrong and you end up like your partner here. Observation deck, where?"

He gestures with his hands and I can see that they are shaking.

"Speak," she says lifting her voice.

"Down the hall," he says. "Door at the end. Please don't kill me."

She knocks him out with the butt of her pistol and he falls to the ground. We pick up both guards and drag them into the room that we were just in.

"Tick, tock," the voice comes on the speaker. "Only five minutes and then poof no more."

Out of the door we stealth fully walk down the hall way and then to the corner. I peek around the corner and see no other guards but the door with the label above it.

'Observation Deck'

We make it all the way to the door and place my hand on the handle when something stops me.

It was a trap before, what's to say that it isn't a trap now.

"What? What are you waiting for?" she says.

"Something doesn't feel right about this," I say.

"Tick tock, you time is almost up," the voice says. "Five, four, three…"

She moves to open the door and I hold her hand.

"I don't think that she would kill him," I say. "Trust me."

"Peeta," she says. "What if you're wrong?"

"Two, one," she says. "Sorry, your time is done. Bye bye."

That is where we hear a hissing sound coming from the other side of the door and people screaming. She moves to the door handle.

"No," I say.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Her tears coming down her face is enough to break me. I knew it was a trap, I can feel it deep inside. Finally she opens the door and we walk into something that we cannot explain.

We stand there in the middle of the central control room of the Fundamentalist group. All the computers have been smashed; all the screens have been broken. There are papers scattered all around, everything looks like a bomb had just gone off. We look around and find only the dead bodies of the group's central control. After checking them all we find that he isn't there. Haymitch isn't among the dead.

"He isn't here," she says.

I look around at all the people who are dead. No gun shots, they lips are blue, the only other thing that would create this would have to be gas. I am reminded of the hissing sound that we heard before coming into the room. I look up and see the sprinkler systems. One of the head of the sprinklers is dripping a liquid on the ground. It is a bluish color.

"Gas," I say to Katniss.

We quickly look around and find that the doors are all closed and locked. Banging on each one I find that there is no budging them. If the gas were to turn on again, we would not have any way out. We move back to the door and find that it is locked.

We start to quickly check the other doors in the room.

"They are all locked," I say to Katniss.

"There has to be a way out," she says.

Just then a door clicks and opens slightly.

"Follow if you wish," the woman over the speakers says.

We know that it is a trap. It has to be, but it is only way. We look to each other and know that all we have are our knives. If they have any sort of gun, we have no way of protecting ourselves. I walk in front of her and through the dark hallway. The lights on the ceiling have been shorted out by the explosions so they turn on and off every couple of seconds. I can see some of the ceiling tiles have fallen onto the ground and are not littering the floor. We walk around them stopping every couple of seconds to hear for footsteps or breathing.

There is nothing, no sounds, but a water drip that is down the hall. We reach the corner of the hallway and slowly peak around finding a row of doors. The last one at the end of the hallway is lit and seems to be the only way out. We slowly walk, with purpose, making slight touches to the floor as to not trip any wires or press on any switches. My hand is still holding hers as we walk slowly down the hallway feeling the wall.

Just as we reach pass the last room and at the end of the hallway I try the door knob that is locked. That is when I hear someone clear their throat.

"Well hello there," a woman says as she emerges from the shadows. The light catches the silver gun as she points it towards us. I look at her as if I had seen her before, I just can't place her.

"Do I know you?" I say.

"We have met," she says. "I took down your statement after the destruction of the first arena."

That is when it hits me the young lady who gave me the symbol, the symbol of the Fundamentalist.

"It is you," I say. "The one who gave me that paper. You are one of them."

"One of them?" she says with a singsong voice. "How about 'The main one.'"

"You are," I say.

"Yes," she says. "Allow me to introduce myself as the Director of the Fundamentalist. I am Abigail Houghstorm. Well… actually… that isn't even true, that is actually my mother's last name. You see I had to change my last name when the old Capitol fell. You may remember it once I said it, because everyone knew it, everyone respected it. My name was Abigail Snow."

The implications of the last name take the wind right out of my lungs. The very fact that one of President Snow's relative stands before me.

She smiles as our expressions realizes who she is.

"That was the day, when everything was taken from me. The day my family was hunted, because of my last name, was the day that I vowed I would get back what was stolen from me. I would get back my freedom," she says.

The inscription that they would leave, it finally makes sense.

'They were not doing it to incite a rebellion; they did it because they wanted to live.'

"Abigail," I start.

"Don't," she says. "I do not care for your explanations or your excuses. I have come to terms with what has happened. Do you know what it is like to be hunted? To have to run out in the middle of the night scared out of your mind because people are chasing you? I was just a child, do you hear me. I didn't know what was happening. Soldiers coming to kill us for no reason other because of my grandfather."

The emotion run high and I can hear her voice tremble as the gun waivers slightly from its target of Katniss. Could this be the little girl that Johanna mentioned in our meeting, the granddaughter of President Snow? She would have been twelve or so back then. She looks around the correct age. Was this the granddaughter that President Snow mentioned to me that day in the Detention Center, the one that would hum that lullaby to? Her eyes are filled with hatred towards us; she has mistaken the Capitol, the Rebels, for us. In her mind we are the ones who caused all this.

"You took everything for me," she says. "One by one, every single family member, my mother, my brother, my uncles and my aunts all one by one died shot or captured by the rebellion."

She lifts the gun to her head almost as if she is thinking about something her eyes close for a split second.

"One of the loveliest traditions that I learned from your district, is an eye for an eye," she says almost snarling at her. "You took my grandfather, so I took your mother."

The thought of it, that she took Katniss's mother, means that she didn't die in the arena; she wasn't killed by the fire, but was taken. I lift up my hand to stop Katniss from rushing her. The instinct is dead on as Katniss tries to get around my hand.

"Katniss," I say firmly.

"Oh oh," she says. "I like to see how far you get in your 'condition' before I put you down like the dog that you are."

I place my hand around her shoulder and I can tell that everything is in her would try and take the life of this crazy person that stands before us, consumed by hatred, by revenge.

"I learned that little bit of information after torturing her for hours," she says. "Yes, I said hours. It was a sort of plan b, you see."

Katniss struggles with the fact that her mother was alive all this time, and was tortured.

Abigail starts to almost giggle at the thought of how this has turned out. How the pain in Katniss face is so evident, and so intense that her tears is for a cause for celebration.

"My original plan was to have loverboy here go in by himself," she says. "Kill him, and I knew, I just knew that you would beg me to end your life. But I wouldn't, oh no, that would be merciful of me, I would just let you suffer there until you killed yourself."

She looks at me.

"This of course that didn't go as planned, as you were chained to his hip," she says mocking. "The whole 'where you go, I go crap.' So it brought me much delight to see that Katniss's very own mother decided to go on the mission. I thought for sure that good old predictable Peeta would stay with your mother."

She turns the gun, and then frowns.

"But he didn't," she says. "You can never predict human behavior. It is such a fascinating thing. He actually left her there, to protect you. At the time I didn't know why, that was until I found out that you my darling was keeping a secret from everyone. Hidden inside you, was the reason that people act irrationally. But now let's see how irrational you have become. We have come to the end of our little song and dance."

She takes a bow almost as if it was a play.

"You know," I say. "They are coming, they know your position."

She nods.

"I know," she says. "I don't expect to make it out of here. I don't plan to escape. There is time though for one more little game. It was actually inspired by you two."

She points the gun to Katniss and looks at me.

"Through the years I have become a very good shot, so listen to what I am going to say very carefully," she says. "It is time for you to choose, your beloved Mockingjay, or your unborn child. You cannot save them both. Tell me now, which one will you choose to save and which one will you condemn to death."

The thought, the very idea, of having to make a choice, my mind goes blank. How can I choose? Who would I choose?

"Don't," I say. "You don't have to do this."

"No!" she screams. "YOU don't get it. You have to choose, Katniss or the baby."

There is no choice; I simply cannot choose one or the other. She knows this, and in this, I cannot come to terms for what I have to do. It is the only thing that I could think of. It is the only thing that my father would do. The only way I say to myself.

I walk in front of Katniss.

"This is my choice," I say. "You would have to kill me first."

She lets out a smirk. I can see the muscles on her neck tense. She is not happy, probably grinding her teeth at the thought that she would have to kill me that I will not choose.

"Typical," she says. "Always going to sacrifice yourself. I was sort of counting on that."

That is when my eyes widen. The plan A was always to kill me and have her suffer. The smirk on her face and I know that she had always intended to kill me. It was never a plan B; it was always her main concern. She knew what Katniss and I always knew, that we were each other's weak spot. When the Capitol had captured me, it was that thought that I was lost that had Katniss defeated. It was that reason that they risked a team into the Detention Center to save me. It was for her to place her resolve behind the rebels.

Everyone knew that if they killed one of us the other wouldn't be able to survive. In this I have failed, I have let her down. That is where I hear the gun fire and can see time begin to slow down. I only have enough time to do one last thing. I still have her arm in my hand, and with all the energy I have, I moved her away from me and feel the bullet hit my chest.

I could hear Katniss scream out.

"Peeta!"

As I fall to the ground I hear the scurrying of footsteps. More than likely Abigail Snow is escaping even though she said she wouldn't. I feel Katniss hands look for the blood, look for the bullet wound.

"Stupid, stupid," she starts to mutter to me. "You stay with me, you hear me. Why do you have to be so stupid?"

She looks around. My eyes look at her.

"Hey," I say. "I kind of just got shot here."

She pats me on my chest and when she doesn't find any blood. She feels around the fabric and through the other side.

"It is dangerous being with you," I say smiling. "I remembered that Cato had some shiny shirt, and through it felt familiar. Have a family to think of, can't leave you alone to raise our child."

She lets out of a laugh of relief before she embraces me.

"Ouch," I say. "Careful, I think that bullet broke a couple of bones."

She helps me to my feet.

"Come," I say. "Let's go find that drunken old man."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Feeling her arms around me, always made me feel safe. It was like that in the Games, when only a soft grab of her hand to mine and all the nervousness just simply went away. The first time that I felt like everything was going to be alright was in the opening ceremony where Cinna had suggested that we hold hands. Before that moment I was a nervous wreck, I didn't know how I would react, and if I would be able to go through with what I knew was the plan.

Now as I see her face, her smile, and the tear that came down her cheek, I know that she will always be my home. That I have something more to look forward to, than just giving it all up for a noble cause, it is more than that. It is about the family that I want to have with her. It is about the future that I dreamt of, never thought that I deserved it, but finally come to terms that we belong together.

"Remind me to thank Abigail," I say while rubbing my chest. "One for aiming for my heart and two for leaving body armor in that box."

She rubs my chest where once a bullet passed through and now a bullet didn't. This is the second time this lovely lady has killed me in nearly the same spot.

We walk slowly down the hall way and then finally peek around the corner.

Empty hallway, with one door opened.

"Another trap?" she says.

I shrug and this time I lead walking towards the open door. Once we are near, we slow to a pace to make our steps soft with sound. Opening my ears, all I can hear is the buzzing sound of the light fixtures above us. I make a movement for slow and she makes her movement behind mines.

Once I am at the door way, I peek around and see a guard. I look back and flash one. She nods and without hesitation walks in with her knife drawn. Before I am able to walk in there, she is already walking quietly up to the guard and nudging the knife so close to his neck that I am afraid she is going to kill him.

"Katniss," I say.

She stops and turns around.

"What?" she says.

"We need information," I say. "Have to find a way out of here and also Haymitch."

She jerks him around.

"So what about it," she says to the guard. "Which way …is the way out?"

He struggles and keeps his mouth closed. She lowers the knife to an area around the shoulder and cuts at it. The guard lets out a scream of pain. The look in Katniss's eye I do not recognize, it is almost like she doesn't care about the person she has.

"Hurts don't it?" she says. "Don't worry you won't die…yet. I can continue to cut places that are filled with nerves. Something about military training that we learned interrogation techniques."

This obviously is a lie. We never learned interrogation because it took a special kind of person to walk to the edge of killing someone and to not go over the edge.

"I would listen to her," I say. "She just found out some disturbing news and I am not responsible for her actions."

He looks at my eyes and I can see the fear in his eyes.

"So," she says. "What will it be?"

My eyes try to meet hers, but she is purposefully keeping her eyes away from mine. We are each other safety net, she keeps me from going over.

Please just tell her what she wants to know before I lose her completely.

Finally after a couple of seconds he relents.

"Okay," he says. "The way out is through the door down the hall and to the left."

"What about where you hold the prisoners?" I say.

"The cells?" he asks. "Same way except to the right instead of the left."

That is when the shaking of the desks begins and the distant bombing begins to be felt.

I look up and see the rattling of the light fixtures. Gale must have found the rumble that was once the light house. He must have seen the water that lead down which was probably a giveaway that we were down here.

"We have to get moving," she says.

Looking at her I see the guard and ID badge that is on the ground unconscious. She gives me a half smile.

"Couldn't do it," she says. "All I kept seeing was Prim, you, and my mother, but Peeta…"

I grab her hands.

"I know," I say.

"I wanted to so badly," she says.

She is trembling before I have to hold her in my arms. It is the first time that she probably realized what I had to go through all those years ago. Losing control of yourself is not something that easy to acknowledge.

"Come on lets go get the old man," I say.

She picks up the gun from the guards holster. Walking through the door, she takes point. With my knife out I walk behind as we make it down the hallway. She peeks around the corner and shows me clear.

I skirt over to the other side of the wall, and peek over to the other end of the hallway.

Clear as well.

"Which way?" I say.

"Only one gun, so whichever way we go we have to go together," she says.

"Well if we get Haymitch then it is one person that can help," I say.

She agrees with me so we go to the right and see the sign on the door.

'Detention'

She places the ID badge on the key pad. The light goes green and the door finally clicks open. Opening the door slowly we look in and see the door of the one of the cells open and can see Abigail Snow struggling with a prisoner that has a hood over their face.

"Come on, you," she says. "I have more plans for you."

"Stop!" Katniss yells. "Stop right there."

She lets go of a warning shot, which causes Abigail to turn and face us. This time she holds the prisoner as a shield and places the tip of the barrel on the temple.

"One step closer," says Katniss.

The door behind us closes and finally we are in the facilities detention center. A row of cells on one side and the other, and three levels up that the main corridor.

"I can do it," Katniss whispers.

If anyone can do it would definitely be Katniss. Either with a bow or a gun, she definitely can hit the target this far out. The only thing is that a hostage situation is a little bit different. What if she misses and hits Haymitch.

"Oh how wonderful, we get to play all over again," Abigail says. "And it seems that you have more lives than a cat."

"Put your gun down," Katniss says. "It is over; the Capitol is currently bombing the base and will be down here any second."

"Let them come," she says with a taunting voice. "They will never leave us alone. They will always come after us, because we remind them of what they were, and what they will always be. If they won't leave us alone, let them see that as long as they believe that they are free, there will be others that are suffering. If you come after us, we will forever come after you, you will never be safe. Not as long as I have breath in my lungs."

She squeezes the throat of the person that she is holding tightly.

"And if I can take one more person with me," she says. "What is that quote of yours, 'and if we burn, you burn with us?'"

"Then I say to you," she continues. "If I die, you all die with me."

There is something though that is off though. Even Haymitch in his older age is still the same Haymitch from the second Quarter Quell. He could easily have over powered or figured out a way to manipulate the situation. He did allow himself to get captured in order for us to know where to go.

Just then I hear the click. It is the same click that I heard all those years ago in the woods outside the Capitol. It was the click of a safety coming from a sniper rifle. It was the fact that he was somewhere with the target in his sights.

I place my hand on her shoulder and she only has to realize what I was saying before we hear the gun shot ring and hit Abigail in the shoulder. Abigail's gun goes off to the ceiling as she falls to the ground.

Looking back I see him nestled on the second level of the detention center.

"Good thing I didn't hesitate," he says with a cocky smile. It was a good thing that Haymitch was the one to do it. If Katniss had to fire and missed she would have beat herself up because of the death of the hostage.

Katniss looks up and then with her weapon still drawn she moves over to the hostage who is still restrained with a hood on. Once we are there Katniss kicks the gun out of her hand and to the wall on the opposite side.

Once Katniss cuts the restraints off, the hostage quickly takes off the hood and there staring at us, bruised and cut is Lillian Everdeen.

They both grab each other as if to see if this was all a dream. The tears come, and the crying is hysterical from both mother and daughter. Katniss's mother is kissing her all over and all Katniss can do is laugh and hold her tighter and tighter.

I feel a small black cloud finally lift from over her and all I can do is smile. She is alive.

Walking over to Abigail, I can see that she is still breathing although very rapidly. The poor young woman, ravaged by hatred and revenge, how we could have easily become like her if we didn't have each other.

As I approach her, I see the tears coming from her face. Could it be from pain or probably from the disappointment?

Walking up to her my eyes widen as I begin to realize the comment. If she dies we all die, what could she mean? I see the horror that she meant by seeing the countdown on a small box.

"Got to go Katniss," I yell.

She looks at me and I point at the device.

"Got to go now," I say.

Both Katniss and her mother is up on their feet as we all begin to run towards the door.

"Haymitch," Katniss yells. "Explosive."

He is already turning around and going down the stairs as we are approaching the door. Haymitch is the first one through the door as he is holding it open. Katniss and her mother are the first ones through the door. Finally as I am running through the door I could hear the explosion and Haymitch grabbing me as he closes the door.

The metal door bangs into us and throws us across the hallway. The floor is unyielding and painful as both Haytmich and I bang into the ground. The fire that came from the explosion was contained by the door we used as a shield.

I feel the hands of someone taking out the door from off of us.

"You okay?" I hear Katniss ask, sticking out her hand. Grabbing her hand I feel the warmth in her touch, the softness in her fingertips.

She looks at me straight through my eyes and I can finally see the joy in her eyes. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and see that Katniss's mother although bruised and cut is smiling at me.

"Hi Mom," I say.

She lets out a laugh and finally embraces me. I feel Katniss's arms around me and her mother and finally hear her.

"Come here, you old fool," she says.

I finally hear a grunt and feel another person holding onto us. Our own little dysfunctional family.


	19. Chapter 19

PART III

"THE SEA IN HER EYES"

Chapter Nineteen

Family I have learned always comes in different shapes and forms. Growing up with the people that you have to tolerate, yes they are your family, but slowly you begin to realize something. Family grows when you realize that it is about more than who lived with you in your house. I didn't grow up with Katniss, but now she is my family. Delly was a great friend, but through it all she accepted me and helped the person that means the world to me, so of course she is part of my family. Now it seems Katniss has adopted one more person into our little circle. A drunken old man that has always protected us, when we yet children. He found a way when everyone else would have given up on us. As I feel the rough hands of Haymitch on my shoulder, I know that we have had our differences, and yet he has done something for Katniss that I could never repay. He killed someone to spare her the nightmares of having to dwell with it the rest of her life.

I think now, that probably that is what Haymitch needed all these years. I can only imagine what it was like to see year after year, children that were placed in his hands to help die. After his little stunt in the second Quell, I am pretty sure that President Snow would have killed his parents or anyone he loved. I can remember what it was like to find out that you are alone in this whole world. That day when they told me about my family, and how they died, the feeling of emptiness that entered into my heart took away my ability to breathe. Could it be that the worst thing imaginable wasn't the deaths of the arena, the killing of innocent people, but the thought of dying alone? Could that be the reason that Haymitch drown his memories in spirits?

"Alright, alright, I need a drink," I hear Haymitch says. "And we still have to escape this place before we drown."

We separate and I feel her hand grab mines. She looks happy, for that split second it was like a dream she had always wanted but was too scared to admit it. I know that she missed her mother, and grieved in her own way. There were moments that I caught her crying, which she would always say was just the wind and allergies. The thought of losing someone and now finding them is something that I know all too well. Those dreadful nights in the detention center when I was being tortured by the Capitol, I thought I had lost her. Thought that I would never see her again, it was awful; I think that was probably the worst torture of all. All I had left were my dreams about her.

Her hands soft and warm are all I can do but smile. We both turn and walk towards the end of the hallway which according to the guard was the way out. We come up to the intersecting hallway; Haymitch peeks around and see no one. We cross the hallway and finally come to the door with the keypad. Katniss comes up and swipes the keypad and the door clicks.

I walk over to the exit door and look at it, a long ladder that leads up to two platforms. Looking back at our team, we would definitely have to go slowly up the ladder.

"Think you guys can go up a ladder?" I ask them.

She walks over to the rung of the ladder.

"We will see," she says.

"Wait, let me go first," says Katniss. "You can come up behind me."

I hand Katniss the gun, and she begins to climb. Right behind her Katniss's mother grabs a rung and I help up onto the ladder. She begins to climb and it is slow at first. Haymitch in the rear is constantly looking back to make sure that no one is following us.

Once we are on the second platform we look up and see the fan now, and it is more than likely bringing in the air from outside. The cool wind travels down from the fan and I think that I could see the pale grey clouds in the sky.

Katniss continues to climb and I can see that the closer we get to the exit the more quicker people climb. It seems that everyone is looking to get out of this place. Once we make it to the top of the ladder there is a door which when we finally open we are outside in a very dense part of the forest.

"We have to get our bearings," says Katniss.

"Stay here," I say. "I will get our bearings."

She stands and tells me that she is coming with me. I smile and turn to her.

"You have to protect them," I say. "I will be okay. Be back in five minutes."

She nods and hands me the gun, looking over to Haymitch.

"What about it, old man," she says. "Think you can cover us while he goes out?"

He smirks and they move to a move covered area where Haymitch can cover them. This is a time where Katniss can look at the wounds that her mother has suffered. I walk slowly alongside the woods, trying to find something that I can remember. There is no smoke, there is no fire. One would think that all the bombings that we felt would have some sort of smoke, or at least some hovercrafts in the air.

Looking at the ground I see it begins to change. From the snow to the petrified sand, bending down to the sand, I pick up the sand and move it through my hands. I hear the beginning roar of the ocean and finally slow down enough to see where we are.

The smoke of the light house is probably about three or four miles away, so you can barely see it. I walk back to the group and finally where we had separated; I call out with the bird call and wait a couple of seconds to hear it call back. I walk and then finally see her there.

"Three miles in that direction is our point of origin," I say. "Sun is going down; probably have about three to four hours before it is dark. We have to find shelter quickly."

Katniss looks to the west.

"We could go back to where we left the supplies," she says pointing in that direction.

I help Katniss up on feet and finally we begin to walk towards that location. Katniss takes lead with the sniper rifle, and I take the rear. We give both Haymitch and Katniss mother a knife and then walk slowly for two hours before we stop and take a breather.

Katniss comes up to me.

"What are you thinking," she says.

"Other than the fact that you look beautiful and how much I love you?" I say with a smile.

"Yes," she says with a smile. "Other than that."

"Well, we would have to find food, build a fire, or find shelter," I say. "The cold won't help any of our conditions. Were you able to make contact with Gale?"

She nods her head no.

"He has to be out there somewhere," I say. "We have to believe that he and Liam are just waiting for a sign."

"But what if what is left of the Fundamentalists are attracted by our sign?" she says.

We both look back at both of them. They are not the youngest, especially Haymitch, but both of them are already on their feet ready to go.

"Come on you two," says Haymitch. "If you two are done saying your undying love for each other, we have to get moving."

Always leave it to Haymitch to continue to be the ray of sunshine that he is. Katniss looks up and begins to let out the bird call. We both look to hear the response and find that there is nothing. We walk north northwest, which should bring us to the housing development.

The woods are cold, and the wind just rustle through them. There is no sound of movement; there is no life among the trees. If they are coming, for some reason we cannot hear it, could be the exhaustion, I think that is causing us to lose focus. The only thing when you lose focus, you become sloppy.

We make it to a clearing and finally can see that smoke to my right coming up. There had to be some that escaped, some of those guards that made it to the exit. I mean that guard that we found was probably heading that way when we left him to die.

It has been somewhat of a roller coaster I think. Can still remember being in the porch of the bakery and day dreaming about life beyond the fences of District Twelve. Who would have thought that all of this would have happened and that my whole life has been this huge odyssey? All I want now is just to go home, and to live my life with her and our child in peace.

We slow the pace and finally start to see the outlining buildings of the housing development. The sun had already retreated into the horizon but you can still see the soft yellow glow coming from the trees. It is odd but I think that they are holding up the sun so that we can reach our destination.

Passing street names we finally come up to our street and then in the distance we see the house that we were last night. The moment of pure joy fills my heart as we realize that soon enough we can all rest. More importantly, she can rest, both body and finally rest with the thought that her mother is there.

We do a quick scan of the building, checking for any signs that other people where there. We search for the supplies we had left, which looking back now turned out to be a very good idea.

Slowly she sits down and I can see that she is exhausted. Walking over to her I kneel next to her,

"You hungry?" I ask grabbing the extra food that I had stored in my pack.

She smiles and as she accepts the bread, she rips it into two.

"Still trying to take care of me," she says.

"Real," I say. "Eat. I am going to check on your mother."

I hand her the sleeping bag from her pack and help her get into it. She at first protests and says that she is fine, but I make sure to let her know that we would be taking turns and that it is better that she take the first shift in order for her to be rested for the later shifts.

"You have the best aim, and they would typically come later in the night," I say.

She has to think about what I said for a moment, and it makes perfect sense to her. She knows that it is a lie, and that the only reason why I say that is to try and convince her, that truly the reason why is because I want her to be protected.

Walking over to her mother I can see that has placed everything neatly in a corner.

"Peeta," she says as she sees me approach. "I never got a chance to thank you for taking care of my daughter."

I smile and hand her my half of the bread.

"You must be hungry," I say.

She looks at it for a couple of seconds unsure of something. The look in her eyes and I know what is echoing through her mind. It is the same look of a person who was tortured. She holds it, and finally places it to her face smelling the bread and closing her eyes.

"Smells like home," she says. "Like your dad's bakery bread."

I know that she doesn't mean to, but the thought, the memory of my father's bread and all I can do is just smile through the pain.

"You think so?" I say.

She looks down at it.

"Sorry," she says.

"It is okay," I say. "I know what you are going through. You know you can talk to me about anything right?"

Her hands have this small tremble to it and although it is faint you can still see some marks on her arms. Walking over to the park, I take out the sleeping bag and I hand it to her.

"We cannot build a fire. The house should protect us from most of the cold wind, but just in case," I say.

"Thank you," she says.

Haymitch stands there at the window, gun in hand. He makes a gesture to me as I walk over to him. He places the gun on his shoulder and turns to face me.

"Want me to take the first shift?" I say to Haymitch.

He does a quick shake no and tells me that he is okay to take the first shift. Telling me that they would be fools to try and come here.

"Well you called me a fool once," I say with a smile.

"You still are," he says. "But I think after all these years; I think it looks good on you."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The warmth of her body keeps me from having nightmares. It keeps me from feeling like she isn't here. I don't think that she even realized that I was there holding her, although her hand quickly went towards my chest. She always tells me that it because my irregular heart beat brings her peace. I never quite understood that, however I would just smile. She fits perfectly in my arms; her head nestled in my chest. My legs sandwich hers and if you were to see us from afar you would think that we were one person.

I have heard that said once, about marriage, that when you get married, you and your wife becomes one that the soul of each other intermingles. At this time as my mind searches to find out who told me this, it comes back blank. There is something about this moment that I just love. I can feel my heart on her hand. Her hand is so warm, and so soft, it causes me to feel peace. I can still remember that day when I asked her why she found peace in my heart beat.

"I think it has to do with true beauty," she says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You remember when you told me what you thought was true beauty?" she says.

"About beauty not being perfect but in the imperfection we find true beauty?" I say.

She nods yes.

"So I guess, the fact that your heartbeat doesn't beat at the same rhythm," she says lowering her voice, obviously still shy at this sort of thing. "I guess I find it beautiful."

The first time that the effects of the Capitol, the torture, and the fact that before I was tortured my heartbeat was the same as any other person, now makes me beautiful in her eyes. Guess you can take anything that is bad and always find a way to think of it as good. It is something that my father could always do. I am guessing that he is rubbing off on her, even though she has never really met him.

My eyes slowly close with her hands in its usual place. There are no dreams, probably because we are on three hour rotation and well I guess my body takes longer to find that true rest. The hand on my shoulder and I know that it is my turn to take over. Haymitch gives me a quiet nod, and finally goes over to his little area.

He covers himself with a jacket that he says he took from a guard.

"Sure you don't need anything," I say offering water.

"Stronger drink than that," he says mumbling something. He hands me the rifle and takes out his knife. Lying down I see he never lets go of his knife. Even with us there sleeping next to him, he still has his mind in the arena, waiting for something to happen, unable to find peace.

Looking over to her, I guess I know why it was that we never have to worry about ending up like Haymitch. Having someone that understands you, that knows what you are going through and still wants to be next to you, gives you peace. Looking at Katniss, I know that she knows what it is like to suffer like I have.

I walk over to the window and look out. There is no movement and it looks like the sun is about to come out. It seems that Haymitch didn't wake me up until morning, probably to let us sleep more. It would have been the same thing I would have done, if I was the first one on watch. These moments before the sun rises, I always believed it was the most important because my father and I would always watch them.

After about an hour of just watching and hearing for any sound, I hear some rustling. It doesn't come from outside, it comes, and I know who it is. It is about the fact that our child has made the once silent hunter into someone who you can hear get up.

"Couldn't sleep," I say without turning around.

"No," she says. "Well not without you."

I feel her hand on my shoulder. Turning around I kiss her hand. Placing my hand on her stomach, I smile, and think about Lilly.

"And how is she sleeping?" I ask.

"It is hard to sleep sometimes, she is moving a lot," she says.

"She?" I hear someone says.

We both turn around and see that Katniss's mother is standing behind her. Odd, I couldn't hear her get up, probably because I was too busy just enjoying being around her daughter.

"Well that is what we think?" I say.

She walks over and places both of her hands on Katniss. Katniss is barely showing a bump. The clothes that she wears do cover up the little belly that does have. Honestly because we are constantly active, you can barely tell if at all. The only way that you could probably grab a hint is the way she has lost a step.

"How are you holding up," she says to Katniss.

"Okay, although sometimes I cannot eat anything without having it come back up," she says.

I nod.

"Mornings are hard," I say to her. "It takes a while to get her to eat anything."

She looks up and it is like she is thinking about what she could have. Katniss's mother has changed the way she sees thing and have now turned into the healer, just like Katniss turns into a hunter in a second.

"Morning sickness," she says. "Well when we get back, I will give you some herbs that you can take in the evening time to help for it. I have also noticed that you shouldn't be here. You should be home resting."

"Do you think she would have stayed home?" I say to her mother.

"Umm hello?" says Katniss. "I am right here you know. If I had known that you were here, nothing and no one would have stopped me from coming."

She grabs her mother's hand. It was hard for Katniss to say goodbye to her mother. It could be because she had always envisioned her mother there to help her through the birth.

"I know," Katniss's mother says. "I know."

"I was thinking," she starts.

She looks to me as to ask for permission. It is something that we hadn't really talked about. It was something that we had kept from everyone. I see it in her eyes that although she would love for our life to always be just hidden in the protection of our District, we would have to let someone in.

I nod as she turns to see her mother.

"If it would be alright to name our child, after her grandmother?" she says.

Her mother just smiles at the idea. She doesn't say anything but just holds us both there.

"I am guessing that is a yes?" I say. "Because our plan B, would have been Effie."

They both look at me and start to laugh. This of course wakes up Haymitch, which is not too pleased with only sleeping what could have been about forty minutes.

"You know there are people here that they are trying to sleep," he says with a mumble.

"Sorry," says Katniss.

"Seeing how you are up," I say. "What about I go and see if I cannot find something to eat? And you take over covering?"

Katniss nods and I grab the nearby bow and arrows.

"Be back with breakfast," I say as I walk outside, before popping back in. "And yes I know no goat."

She laughs as we are the only ones that know the joke behind that one. The sun light is starting to peek through the trees. We are about one mile east of our original position, where Haymitch was taken. The thought on if Gale is still trying to find us and if the Fundamentalist are also trying to find us, preoccupy my mind.

How would we be able to attract one, and not the other? The only thing that I can think of is the arrows thing that Katniss did back in the Quell arena. The only thing is that what if he isn't looking, or worst, what if…

The thought I quickly dismiss. He is still alive, he has to be. He is our only hope of getting home. The Capitol would bring out the hovercrafts though, right as we were going down, he gave them our coordinates. The coordinates of the crash site, even the Capitol would go looking for the base of the Fundamentalist, the ghost in the shadows as they were called.

Something catches my eye. Movement. I pause and move without any thinking behind a tree. I peer around the tree looking for confirmation. Trying to hear any movement, trying to see in the same direction, what was it? Slowly taking out an arrow, I place it in the notch and make another attempt to obtain confirmation.

Looking out I see it again, movement. That is when I see it, it's brown fur, and it curved antlers. Seems that the winter months is almost at its end and now the animals that once slept during this time is now finally coming out.

I lift up the bow, waiting to see where it would go. There are not that many trees so it is in a clearing. Odd place to go, I think to myself. The arrow feels so natural now, after all these years, that instinct guides my sight. All those years chasing game in the forests of District Twelve, and this buck, reminds me of the one I caught so long ago.

I always did love the feel of letting go of that arrow from the bow string. The vibrations of the string as the arrow flies off its grasps, it was always a sort of melody. It is only a couple of seconds of flight before it finally hits its target.

Odd thing though, instead of hearing the one thud of the arrow, I hear two.

Not alone. The thought flashes to me, and I see two arrows on the side of the buck. Quickly I take cover and scan the woods for the second hunter.

Hunter.

The thought in my mind races through as I say the word over and over in my mind. From the base of the tree, I call out.

"Come out," I say. "Slowly, hands up, have one more than one arrow."

There is nothing, no response, until I hear the all too familiar call of the mockingjay through the trees. A smile finally comes over my face as I respond back to it in kind.

"Peeta?" the voice calls through the trees.

"Who else," I say back looking for him.

"You alone," he says. "Don't want to get an arrow from your backup."

"She is back in camp, where is your backup?" I say, finally come out into the open. That is where I see him there standing, with a grin on his face. This is the very first time I am actually glad to see that stupid grin.

"He is around," he says. "You got the old man back?"

"What do you think?" I say.

"That both of you clearly do not know how to make a plan," he says. "All that smoke over there, I am guessing is you twos idea of a plan?"

"More like a signal," I say. "For someone who never showed up."

Walking over to him, finally eye to eye, he sticks out his hand, and finally after all this time, we shake, obviously happy to see each other.

"Come on," he says. "Help me with my catch."

"Your catch?" I say. "As you can see my arrow hit it first."

"Your arrow?" he says. "Your arrow hit nothing but fat, mine hit the heart."

We walk towards the buck and finally see it there with the two arrows pierced in the same locations couple of inches apart. If I didn't know better, I think both of our arrows hit the same heart at the same time.

The thought reminds me of her, and the fact that we both went after the same heart.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

The warmth of the sunrise is always an inviting thing, especially when you know that the winter months are almost over. Walking over to the buck, you can hear the crunching sound of the sound underneath our feet, both of us obviously not making the effort to be quiet; I think he might be just as tired as I was.

"So is it over," he asks.

"Don't know," I say. "We did get to meet the leader of the group. Turns out it was Snow's grand daughter."

He stops walking; probably he is as shocked as we were.

"Snow, as in President Snow?" he says in disbelief.

"Yes," I say.

"And she is…," he says.

"Last we saw she blew herself up, not wanting to get caught," I say.

The buck is heavy and finally after a couple of minutes Liam finally shows up to help. He is happy to see me, and cannot wait to get back to District Twelve.

"There is only one thing that I miss," Liam says.

We both look at him and shake our heads. It is the most obvious thing but it is funny seeing it from the other side.

"Come on, loverboy," I say rustling his hair. "Let's get back."

Walking out in the open, I want to make sure that Katniss sees us from the scope of the rifle. More than likely she has already spotted us. The scope gives a reflection and I know that it is on purpose to confirm that she sees us. Once we are within visibility, I see her already out there on the street.

"Went hunting," I say. "And found these two."

"Hey Catnip," Gale says to her. "Something different about you though."

Could it be that Katniss is already showing and that people would be able to tell? Her face goes from the smile that she had, to one of no emotion. Her eyes quickly connect with mines and I know that she must be nervous about people finding out.

"Nope," he says. "The thing that was different just left. You know smiling does help you look at least a little bit more pleasant."

"See, that is what I had already told her," we hear from Haymitch who has obviously walked out with her.

Katniss shoots Gale a look and I know that her thoughts of her pregnancy have been vanished by Gale's comment.

"Well actually, the smile," she says. "Comes from us finding someone."

She turns around and calls out her mother. As she steps into the street, finally I feel the weight of the buck. Looking to the side I see Gale had already let go of the buck and is making his way over to her mother.

Haymitch comes over and helps us bring over the buck to the house where we are currently staying.

Looking back I see that Gale is talking with her mother. Katniss walks alongside me, and just smiles. There is a little hop to her step. Well at least that is how I see it, if I were to ever bring it up to her, she would deny it. Those are the moments when we are alone.

After we had eaten breakfast the main question on everyone's mind.

"Where you able to make contact with the Capitol," says Katniss.

"Handheld radios that we were issued do not have that capacity," he responds.

"Well what about the one on the hovercraft?" I ask.

"That was my plan for tomorrow," he says.

"Risky," says Haymitch. "They might be waiting for us there. Who knows how many more of the enemy are out there."

"I think we can start to move back thought," continue Haymitch. "You up for a walk?"

We all make the plan to start to head back to our crash site. It is a more of dangerous plan, as we could be walking into an ambush.

We start the trek back to the crash site. Gale and Liam take point as they have been trying to plot a safe course back to the crash site since we left for the edge. Katniss's mother and Haymitch are in the middle with Haymitch covering her. Katniss follows behind and finally I cover the rear.

The day is beginning the same way as any other day, but this time as we move it is almost like we have a purpose. This time it isn't about being a hero sacrificing yourself for the others. This time it is about the simple fact that we all make it back home. Even the forest is beginning to come alive with movement. I think in the distance we hear a bird singing. I think it is a bird, although with the fact that Katniss is next to me, there is really no way to know.

The trees have this slick look to it. My hand rubs onto on the trunks of the trees and rubbing my fingers between each other. Did it rain, I wonder, or is it the fact that the ice is melting and finally soon it will be spring. We make it to the edge of the woods between the housing developments. In its better years it could have been a park.

It is where I see it. In the distance, I see it, hidden by the trees and by the high grass, looks almost like it has been eaten up by a past life. The swing set, looks almost rusted through. We didn't walk through here on the way out. It seems that Gale is taking us through the route that he went through that night

Katniss without even noticing it, extends her hand and touches the chain of the swings. Looking back at it wiggle through the air, she sees me and smiles. It reminds me of those times that we would spend in the school swing set. It was silly I know, but every time we would go there she would always ask me to push her on the swings.

"You never did back when we were in school," she says.

"Well I always wanted to," I say.

"Then why didn't you?" she says. "Was I really that intimidating?"

I stop the swinging and she just looks at me.

"No, I mean you would never believe this but," I say. "You were just that beautiful. I mean who would have thought that you would ever look at me the way that I looked at you."

She looks back towards the school.

"Your right," she says laughing. "I don't believe you."

The way she looks at me now as we walk through the ancient play ground, I know that she is thinking of the times that we spent there. Probably she is thinking of the times that we will have with our little girl on the swing set back home. It just seems so close right now. District Twelve looks like the trees, so close that you can just lift your hands up and touch it.

Passing through the playground it is almost a sad moment. The trees begin to die out and instead of hiding us in the canopy, now expose us. The sadness hit me, because all I can see is the same street that we were on. I can still see the bullet holes in the homes. It is the same ghost town that we were first in. The cars haven't moved, the grass grows uncontrollably but weird that it doesn't grow too high. There is this uneasy feeling that races through the pit of my stomach. Almost like a prey being lured into a false sense of security. It is what we would do when we are hunting, this development feels too safe, it fees too easy.

Finally the sun is beginning to set which causes the houses to be extract lit up.

"We have to take cover," says Haymitch. "I suggest we do not pick the two story house at the end of the block."

We all smile although we do not find it any funnier. and we decide to settle in on one of the houses.

"Liam," I say. "Cover the home with Katniss, Gale and I will go ahead in and do some recon of the crash site."

Katniss turns around and places her pack on the ground. The way her face looks and I know that something is up. In fact I look to Haymitch and he also thinks that something is up. Most of the time whenever people walk away from the group then it is to talk privately. Katniss knows that we can tolerate each other, Gale and I, but to go out and scout anything would be a leap without her.

"Peeta," Katniss begins to protest.

"We are just going to see, doing a little scouting," I say. "I will not be long, just go and come back. I would go by myself but I know that you would want to cover me. I promise no hero stuff, just want to make sure that tomorrow we can approach it with no issues."

I turn to Gale and he just looks at me trying to find the words. Trying to understand what I am trying to say. He finally makes a small gesture and says.

"Yeah, don't worry Catnip," Gale says. "I will make sure to look out for him."

She grabs my hand almost like she wants me to tell her, stop me, I don't know. I merely grab it, look straight in her eyes, and kiss her hand. She turns away starting to walk back towards the house. Halfway up she turns back and looks at me, with her eyes of worry. I don't want to worry her if what I am thinking is unfounded. The only one that can tell me if it true is him, he could tell me that I am crazy, that I am over thinking it.

I turn around and see that Gale is already walking towards the crash site. Once we are in the woods, he stops and turns to me. Obviously he is not prepared to go anywhere near the crash site until we get this out in the open.

"So we are far enough," he says. "Don't think anyone followed us. Want to tell me why you lied to all of them?"

I turn around and look at him.

"There are things that are not adding up," I say. "Didn't you find it a little easier coming back? I mean where is everyone, didn't you notice that no one, no gun fire, nothing?"

He steps back and looks around almost as if he hadn't really noticed.

"Look, I don't know what is going on, I am just as suspicious as you are," he says.

"It feels like a trap, almost like they are waiting for us to do something," I say. "I didn't want to say anything to anyone because it may be that I am just paranoid. I have never trusted any government; the only people I trust are the ones who are here right now."

This has implications. I do trust him. He was after all the one who gave me the nightlock pill, when no one would. No one else would even consider me giving up my life, even though everyone knew that I was a liability, that I would endanger them all.

"If you want we can go and check out the crash site and see."

I stick out my hand.

"After you," I say.

We continue walking into the woods. This time though the moon lights up the trees. There is no noise, nothing. The uneasy feeling continue to choke at my throat. If we are being watched, or if they are waiting for us there would be at least some evidence of that. No one is this good, not even Katniss. There we slowly make our way around the trees, looking for wires of any kind. In the distance he signals to stop. We both put on the goggles and look for any heat signatures, but find none.

"Should we try?" I suggest making a movement towards the hovercraft.

"Too dangerous," he says looking around. "I promised her I get you back in one piece, and I intend to keep it."

He turns around and we walk back towards the house. All the while I keep on thinking, that it is too easy. I don't know why but it all seems like it was harder trying to find the base that it was escaping.

Once I see the house, we walk towards it flicking on and off the flashlight twice in order to not get shot. We walk through the door and see that everyone is already getting ready to sleep. Seems like Liam would be taking first watch. Haymitch is already passed out, and probably will be up in a couple of hours to take a shift. With the amount of people that we now have, the shifts would probably be only two hours or so, so we will all be nicely rested tomorrow.

Walking over to Katniss I see that she is sitting there waiting for me to come back. She looks at me and stands up.

"Follow me," she says walking to another room. It seems that Katniss has something to tell me or at least ask me. Once inside she half closes the door.

"Katniss about before," I start.

"What was that about?" she interrupts.

"Katniss, I don't know, it may be nothing, but I am getting that same feeling, like something is off, like we are walking into a trap or something," I say. "I am sure you feel it, please tell me that you do."

She looks at me, a little unsure. Could it be that I am just imagining it? That it could be that for the first time in a long time, we were just lucky that no one was chasing us, even though the exit door that we never locked.

"I believe you," she tells me.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

It had always been her eyes. Looking at her there standing in the old house before me, it seems good to know that at least someone believe me. Her arms are crossed and I know that she is uneasy about it all. The moonlight has creep through the crack in the door. Her eyes just look at me, obviously strained by lack of sleep.

Walking over to her I can see that the little euphoria that she had with her mother back has been replaced with a dread of something is off. I want to comfort her; I want to tell her that everything will be okay.

"You know," I start to say. "Darkness, it creeps in on you, but you shouldn't fear…"

She smiles at me. She remembers the little stories from the book. This little song I got from the book of children songs and lullabies that we would sing to Lilly. It is the only thing that I could think of to let her know that it would be okay.

"For darkness is not scary, it does not hide the monsters," she says.

"It isn't that at all, darkness is only one thing," I say.

"The world needing batteries for its flashlight," she finishes.

She finally uncrosses her arms and I open mines. She walks into them and finally whispers.

"Tell me it will be okay, even if you don't believe it," she says softly.

I work my hands through her hair, moving it away from her face. She looks at me, and I know that would believe anything that I said at this moment.

"I don't say anything that I don't believe, and Katniss, it will be alright," I say. "Tomorrow you will be safe, tomorrow you will be home."

She lowers her head onto my chest. I can feel her hands on my chest and I know that she feels safe. Wrapping my arms around her, and I know that I feel safe. There is a small vibration on my chest, and then as I lower my head to see, I see that she is humming.

"I missed you," I say.

"So have I," she says.

"We have been so preoccupied in getting here, and now getting home, that I haven't been able to," I say.

"I know," she says.

We sit down against the wall. Her hand finds mine in the dark.

"If I was home right now," she starts.

I smile.

It was a game we started in our victory tour back when we were younger.

"I would push you on the swings," I finish. "Because I saw how you looked at it."

She looks at me. "I actually was thinking of pushing Lilly on it."

"If I was home right now," I say.

"I would go on one of our living room picnics," she says. "We haven't had one of those in a while."

"Can you remember the first one?" I say.

She smiles and of course who could forget the first time that we were finally left alone. It is funny how all we wanted to do was to be with each other, even before we were supposed to go into the Quell.

"You know one day, I am going to finish that knot tying that I was doing," I say.

She just smiles and lays her head on my chest. It isn't but a couple of minutes but when I open my eyes Gale is already there shaking me awake.

"Peeta," he says.

Gale is there at the door looking at me.

"It is my turn?" I ask.

He nods no.

"You might want to get sleepy head here awake," he says. "Something you might want to see."

I shake her shoulder a little and she opens her eyes. At first she her eyes widen as if she doesn't know where she is. Finally she turns and sees me and then a yawn.

"Is it my turn?" she says.

"No," I say. "Seems like Gale wants to show us something."

I stand and help her up. We walk over to the door and that is when we here it. We hear the radio transmission as well as many, many different voices of people hurrying around.

Opening the door, we see all the Capitol soldiers picking up the packs and the weapons. I see medical staff already checking Liam, and Haymitch for injuries. They actually came. The Capitol didn't leave us here stranded. Could it be that it was all my imagination and that finally we are catching a break?

"Soldiers Mellark, transport should be here in five minutes to take you to District Four," a soldier says.

"Four?" asks Katniss.

"On orders by Doctor Everdeen," they respond.

Doctor Everdeen. It is a smile that creeps up on my face that causes Katniss to relax.

"And where is Doctor Everdeen?" I ask.

"She is being checked out," he responds.

Turning around I find that Katniss's hand doesn't leave mines. The soldier tells us that our debrief will occur in District Four, and suddenly I feel her hand tighten just a little. We never did like these missions debrief. I don't even know why we would have to have them, not like we had one when we were left stranded. Finally the happiness of going home, is feeling like we are still trapped. I can feel my heart beat begin to race just a little.

Katniss turns and looks at me, and then turns to the soldier.

"You need to leave," she says in a sharp tone.

"Ma'am?" he says.

"You are upsetting him, and well if he has an episode and throws you through that window there, I will not be able to tell you I told you so," she says smiling.

Leave it to Katniss to always be looking out for me.

He looks at me and I can feel my breathing get harder and harder. The beeping begins on the transmitter and I can hear Katniss order the guard out now.

Finally I hear her voice in my ear.

"Okay," she says. "Concentrate on my voice, listen to the tones of my voice, focus in on your breathing. In and out, nice and easy."

The beeping begins to slow down.

"That is it," she says. "Can't wait to be home, you owe me at least twenty cheese buns."

This causes me to smile and I know that she is trying to distract me. Finally I feel her hand on my cheeks rubbing them. It is what always calms me; it is what finally gets me to focus.

Opening my eyes, I see that her forehead is on mine and her eyes are closed. She is humming and is still rubbing my cheeks. I lift my hands to her cheek and she slowly opens her eyes meeting mines. The tenderness in her sight is all that I need to tilt my head and kiss her softly on the lips. After a couple of minutes we just pretend that we are back in our own living room with no one around us. A hand on my shoulder and we slowly come back into the reality that we are currently in.

"Time to go," Katniss's mother says smiling.

We walk outside with her over to the transport hovercraft which is a much larger version of the hovercraft that we were in. The sheer number of soldiers is impressive. It seems that the President sent everyone that he could over to our position. In the sky I even see more hovercrafts heading towards the coast line.

We walk into the transport and finally the soldiers give the pilot the green light and just like that the door slides closed and we begin to lift up into the sky. Looking around I see that it is just us.

"Haymitch, Liam, Gale," I ask.

"They are going to District Twelve," a soldier inside says. "It is a different transport than this one that is heading to District Four."

Looking out the window I see the trees begin to disappear as the transport begins to move forward. I look over and see Katniss has her mother's hand held tightly, as well as mines. Her eyes are closed as well as her mothers; it seems that they are finally able to relax as we are on our way back.

Keeping my eyes opened I look at the pilot and the co-pilot. We are flying at a slower rate passed the mountains and thinking about how far we have come, how much we have lost, finding her mother is a gift. My eyes begin to close and then finally after a couple of minutes all I see is darkness. The tiredness of my body has caused my eyes to close. I can still feel the warmth of her hand, the closeness of her heart.

The touch down of the transport jars us all awake, and finally the door slides open. The sun reflects off the ocean water and the first thing that we do is shield our eyes.

"Welcome to District Four," the soldiers says as they help us out of the transport.

Walking out I see our packs there on the ground. I walk over to it, and finally picking them up I turn around only to have Katniss thrust herself on me. She lets out a laugh and finally starts to cry in happiness.

"It is finally over," she says. "We are finally free."

"Finally," I repeat to her.

"Come," says Katniss's mother quietly. "Let's go home, want to check you two out."

Walking quickly through the streets we find that it is early in the afternoon. There is hardly anyone on the streets and those that are out, we keep our heads down. The Capitol still hasn't released the fact that we are alive, so therefore we have to maintain ourselves hidden.

The door to Katniss's mother house is locked so she bends down and moves over a plant to find the extra key. Opening in the door, she quickly closes the blinds and locks the door. She tells me us to go and sit in the living room while she gets her equipment.

Sitting down in the comfortable sofa, it is almost like she has transformed back to the one person that I have always loved.

"So now that we are somewhat home," I say. "What do you want to do?"

She looks at me with those tired eyes.

"Sleep," she says laughing.

I start to run my hand through her hair. She just smiles. After a couple of minutes I see Katniss's mother come out with a very large suit case. She places it in the coffee table.

"What is that?" I say.

"A machine from the hospital," she says. "Ever since we came back from the first mission I had requested it."

She opens it and we find pads and gels and a machine that has a small screen and a speaker. She takes out the gel and tells Katniss to lift her shirt. Once she does she places a small portion of the gel on her stomach, and then starts to spread it out all over her stomach.

"Wow, it is cold," she says as she squirms.

"Katniss," her mother says in a stern voice. "Stay still."

She then hooks up the machine and finally Katniss's mother begins to move a wand over the gel that is spread over her belly. At first we start to see images of something that is black and white on a screen.

"Where are you?" I hear Katniss's mother say until finally she says. "Ah hah, got you."

The speaker begins to do a warping sound, until finally there it is. The steady beat of a heart.

"Is that?" I say.

"Yes," says Katniss's mother. "That right there is your child's heart beat.

The tears begin to weld up in my eyes.

"It is normal," I say. "No irregularities."

Katniss's hand grabs onto mine and I smile. The small head and the peanut shape body come into the picture. The picture moves from side to side.

Katniss's mother points at something on the screen.

"See that right there," she says.

I point towards something on the screen.

"That right means we are having a little girl," she says smiling.

My hand touches the screen.

"Hi, Lilly," I say.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

_December 28, Year 92_

_My Dearest Lilly,_

_To think that just a couple of days ago, I saw you on a black and white screen. To hear your heart beat, it stirred something inside of me that I didn't know was there. But when I heard it, and how steady it was. There is so many things that I want to tell you, that I figured that I would write to you until you could read it. It has been relaxing here in your grandmother's house. She has been taking care of your mother, making sure that all the medicine that she needs for you to be the healthiest baby ever. I don't know about you, but you are going to be the most loved baby. Everyone, and when I say everyone, I only mean your mother, your grandmother and myself cannot wait to meet you. _

_To hold you in my arms is something that I dreamt about yesterday. It was the best dream, other than loving your mother. I don't know how to say it but I love you just like I love your mother and well to be honest, I haven't really met you yet. How is that even possible? Even now just looking at your mother just sleep and know that inside her, is you, it is like a small little gift inside the gift that I feel that is your mother. Ever so often I feel you moving, well your mother tells me and my hand just catches you. You are pretty quick, took your grandmother a couple of minutes to be able to get you on the monitor that first time. _

_The sun light is beginning to come through the blinds, and I know that pretty soon your mother will catch me writing. _

_Your Father_

_Peeta Mellark_

Opening the sketch book and placing it inside, I close it slowly and walk back to the bed. She just seems so peaceful there. I slip in between the sheets and find her there starting to move. Once I am there next to her, her eyes slowly open and a smile creeps in.

"Had a good night sleep?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "Hardly any nightmares."

"Hardly?" I say a little shock.

"Had the dream," she says with a somber look. The dream that she is referring to, is one that she told me a couple of years ago. Sleeping in our bed back in District Twelve, all of the sudden I felt her thrashing around. Getting up and consoling her she tells me that her nightmare is seeing the children at the President Mansion being burned alive.

"The screams," she says with tears. "They still echo, I can still hear them. Peeta, you were on the ground but I saw them, reaching up for those silver parachutes. The look of horror in their eyes, the screams from their voices when they were being burned, it is awful."

I brush her hair with my hand, and she just looks at me. Her face of fear and worry is something that I had seen only a small number of times.

"I still hear her," she says.

I hold her, and whisper soothing sounds in her ear. There is no way that she could have heard her. The explosion immediately caused both of us to lose conscience. Nightmares however they combine, and well the jabberjays and the screams from the Quell could have been combined with this nightmare.

"It will be okay," I say to her.

There is a soft knock on our door. Katniss's mother had told us to stay with her until Lilly is born because there isn't a hospital in District Twelve, and honestly I don't think that she would come back. We of course agreed because it is nice to have her mother happy and running around taking care of her daughter.

The only thing that bothers me, is that the Capitol hasn't scheduled any debrief for us. It has been three weeks and nothing. When asking Gale, he said that it had been scheduled.

Walking over to the door, I turn the knob and open the door.

"Is my Lilly awake," she says with a smile.

"No," Katniss responds. "But your daughter is."

Her mother walks over to her and hands her a glass of something. According to her, it has been keeping Katniss's morning sickness at bay, which of course has helped us all. She drinks it and finally after a couple of minutes she stands up. It takes her a little bit to stand with the extra weight.

She walks over to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Did I tell you today?" I say.

"No," she answers. "But I know."

I lean in and tell her. "I still want you to know, that I love you."

After eating breakfast we finally just sit in the living room. She tells me that she wants to go outside which of course we have not been cleared by the Capitol to do. They told us in a very nicely printed letter that we are required to stay in-door until the debrief is completed and we are announced to the country.

"But I am going crazy being trapped," she says.

"I know, but supposedly the debrief is happening today," I say. "After that we can go outside and go finally to the beach."

"Have a picnic," she asks with her voice filled with wonder.

"Of course," I say. "We can go anywhere."

"To visit," Katniss mother says. "You are still going to come back here until Lilly is born."

"Yes, mom," Katniss says. "Until Lilly is born."

That was some doing though. To get the Capitol official to come here took some doing and to have us debrief at the same time is something else. The house has been cleaned and re-cleaned, seems that when Katniss's mother is nervous she cleans.

The day comes and goes and in the afternoon we hear a knock on the door.

Walking to the door I open it and smile at the sight.

"Come in," I say.

He wipes his feet on the mat and finally walks in. This is the picture of who this man is, the small suitcase in his hand and a book in the crook of his underarm. He lowers the suit case and places the book on top of the suit case.

"Come here, let me take a look at you," says Doctor Aurelius.

Walking towards him, he opens his arms and we embrace.

"I never lost hope," in my ear.

"Couldn't leave just yet, we weren't finish yet on our treatment," I say. "And I still have the books you gave me that I needed to return."

Finally he separates and sees Katniss there sitting on the sofa.

"My word, Katniss, you are glowing," he says.

She smiles. He walks a little slower than usual and finally sits on the sofa alongside us.

"So what do you say we get this out of the way," he says.

"You are going to give us our debrief?" I ask.

"No," he says. "No need. The government just wants me to do a mental assessment for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Katniss asks.

"Well they are making the announcement in a couple of minutes to all of Panem, that you are still alive," he says.

I look over to Katniss. Her expression is the same as mine, a little bit confused. The government does not want to know who the director of the Fundamentalist was. They are not asking to find out what happened?

We don't say anything but we understand each other.

"Tomorrow, they will make a whole celebration back in District Twelve," he says. "I am here to make sure you guys are up for it."

"Do we," she says. "Have a choice?"

"Did we ever?" I say with disgust.

"Well I will let them know that you have your reservations," he says.

He looks to his watch and finally asks if we could turn on the television. Katniss's mother barely ever turns it on. She really just have it there for decorations. Every house is mandated to have at least one, just in case of such announcements. It is odd though that our being alive would require a national wide television announcement. She finally comes to the knob and turns it on. The television hums and finally after a couple of minutes the picture comes to.

"We interrupt your television program to bring you a special announcement," someone on the television says. The picture shows some place in the President's Mansion. I think it is the garden in the courtyard. It has been years since we have even been to the President Mansion. It is the one place that neither of us would ever go to.

The president walks in from the nearby doors. He has on a dark blue suit and looks very serious as he approaches the podium.

"People of Panem," he says. "I come before you today as man finally able to say with certainty. I can report to you the people of Panem, that we have conducted an operation that killed Abigail Snow, the leader of the Fundamentalists, a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children."

That word echoes through my mind. Terrorist. That is what President Snow called the rebels. It is the same, nothing has changed. It is almost like President Mason has taken the look of President Snow.

'They were not doing it to incite a rebellion, they did it because they wanted to live.'

Could we have been wrong? Everything feels so off, almost like we are still in a dream. President Mason called the Fundamentalists Terrorists.

"Yesterday, at my direction, the Capitol launched a targeted operation against their base of operation. A small team from the Star Squad 451 carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. Both Katniss Mellark and Peeta Mellark lead the secret mission alongside other members of the Star Squad 451, under the disguise of their deaths as to throw off the Fundamentalists. They will be commended tomorrow in District Twelve. We will be broadcasting their acceptance back into our community, thank you and until then."

The television goes black and we just sit there. There is nothing that we can do. The feelings that I feel are enough to keep me paralyzed here.

Finally I just say what has been running through my mind.

"They were not doing it to incite a rebellion, they did it because they wanted to live," she says. "We were pawns."

Standing up she walks back to her room.

"I am sorry," I say to Doctor Aurelius. "It has been a little bit too much for her. But stay if you can, so that we can have dinner together."

The door is closed as I make my way to it. Knocking I open the door and see her there looking out of the window, her hand on her stomach. It is the same picture from my dream, the worn out expression as she looks outside, window blinds drawn.

"I am sorry," she says down to her stomach. "Your parents were pawns in a murder."

Walking over to her, she looks at me and I can see that her eyes have tears in them.

"They used us," she says to me. "They couldn't find them. They knew that we would. That is why we are not getting debriefed. They only wanted to know…"

I hold her.

"They only wanted to know…," she repeats. "We killed her, when all she wanted was to survive."

Holding her, she cannot stop crying. It is the fact, thinking about all those years, looking for them. They didn't really do anything to disrupt the Capitol life. They stole supplies more than likely to live. They hadn't killed anyone, the news didn't say of anything. They were labeled terrorists, because they said that they were murderers of innocent men, women and children. If that is the case, then we are terrorists, and we have murdered many people in the arenas, and in war.

There is only one thing that can bring us back from the brink of darkness. The only thing that can save us both, that can redeem us.

"Remember," I say. "We found her. Think of it like that, that we rescued her."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

"I am sorry," we both hear coming from the doorway. Forgiveness is something that can cause you to either be freed or cause you to be bound. We have been through a lot, and through a lot of deceit, so this shouldn't have hurt as much as it has. To be manipulated, we had thought died with the old Capitol, but the thing is something that we never understood until now. The Capitol isn't just a place, a type of people. It isn't about the Games or even about President Snow. The Capitol comes from the mentality of people, how people think. It is hard to come to accept but it is in every person. The war wasn't to get rid of tyranny or fight for freedom, because sooner or later, people have that mentality in them. To get something from someone, people will tend to revert to their own selfish devices.

Doctor Aurelius could not understand this; he had always been living in District Thirteen. People who have lived in the Districts would be able to understand this. They know what it is like to come together. It is what my father always had place in my heart. That through it all we are together in this.

"It isn't you," says Katniss. "It is that very thought. That we will never be free, that if someone else steps in the way, they will be taken by the Capitol."

I can feel her body shiver. I rub her back and her arms to try and bring some sort of comfort to it. A knock on the door, and suddenly we see Katniss's mother.

"Should we pack now, or tomorrow," she says. "We can make it to the district before night fall. There is a train leaving in two hours."

Katniss looks at her mother, and knows that District Twelve was the last place that she would want to go. So many horrible memories, so many people lost, it would be like me going back to the Detention Center. I can tell from the way she just said it, that her voice is trembling if ever so lightly. It is the same tremble that Katniss does when she is trying to avoid a conversation about Prim, or someone that she misses.

"You don't have to," Katniss begins.

"I know," she says. "But as your acting doctor, where you go I go, more importantly where Lilly goes I am sure as hell going."

The smile that comes through our face is evident and causes her mother to blush. If there was ever to a change in their relationship this was it. Katniss and her mother hadn't always had the most expressive of relationships. They are the extremes, either an extreme fight with yelling, or an extreme reconciliation with crying and hugging. Prim was the happy medium that kept Katniss from really truly opening up to her mother. It was because Katniss could love someone freely and not have to deal with lost with Prim. With Prim gone, Katniss really had to deal with everything. It has been a struggle at time. After phone calls with her mother, sometimes Katniss would go to the woods and get lost on purpose.

She always said that it was her way of getting a grip on things. This time around, Katniss has to realize that this outburst of emotion from her mother is her way of saying that she would go into the worst possible place for her daughter, probably because we went to the worst possible place for her mother.

"Okay," Katniss says. "So you want to leave today? We could show you the house. Doctor Aurelius you are more than welcome to come with us."

He looks to his watch and finally says that he will be in District Twelve tomorrow. That he has to write his report and send it to the Capitol by the end of today. Katniss understands and goes over to him to thank him.

"Remember," he says to her. "The sun cannot change the time it comes out, even if the world isn't ready for it. The only thing he can do is come out everyday."

He leans in and kisses her on her forehead and finally says his goodbyes.

"I will see you at the celebration," he says.

Katniss's mother walks with him to the door.

She sits on the edge of the bed and just looks at me.

"What did he mean?" she says letting out a small laugh. Which of course makes me laugh as I sit next to her; I guess we needed something like that.

Thinking about what he said and all I could do is start laughing again. This of course caused her to start laughing again and then we are both there laughing. After a couple of minutes she turns to me.

"How can we just…you know," she says. "They lied, they used us. How can we just act like it didn't happen?"

There are no words that I could come up with. There is nothing to help her understand that we have to. All I could do is place my hand on her stomach. She looks at it there and then looks up at me.

"We have to," I say. "For her."

She nods her head and finally our lives have changed. No more can we have the luxury of saying what we want, of doing what we want.

"Someone once told me not to be the hero anymore," I say. "That my family is worth fighting for and probably this is the way to do it."

"So we smile and wave?" she says.

I nod.

"We smile and wave," I say.

I help her to her feet and walk out to the living room to find that Katniss's mother has already packed somethings for us.

"Just have some food there and a change of clothes," she says.

Walking outside, the day is a beautiful. We haven't really been outside since we got back from the edge of District Twelve. The ocean waves you can hear them roar in the background. I can see Katniss standing on her tippy toes trying to see the ocean. Her hand is firm in mines and we walk with hats on, with sunglasses. No one really notices us; we walk towards the train station.

The two o'clock train is approaching the station so we just stand on the platform and finally as it hisses to a stop we stand there holding hands. Looking over to Katniss's mother I can see that she is having to talk herself into going. That sometimes it is more important family than the very thing that causes us pain.

The train is a passenger train so there are a good amount of people there waiting. There are some families and some lonely stranglers just enjoying traveling and going from District to District. I wonder where they are going, what adventures they have experienced.

The doors open and we finally go to a nearby pair of seats, placing our bags on the empty fourth seat. Seating down we just stay quiet, as to not attack attention. Most of the ride I see Katniss there looking out on the window, I have to say, I hate seeing her this way. It is almost like the Snow finally won, finally broke her. Even at our worst, Katniss was always a fighter, never letting anyone tell her what to do or how to feel.

I rub her hand and she turns to look at me.

"You okay," I say.

She leans into my ear.

"Not really," she says. "But having you here steadies me."

Pulling away she gives me a half smile and I know that she is trying to keep herself from falling apart. The thing is that what many people do not realize about Katniss, is that through the hard shell, she is delicate. Her walls though are pretty tough to get through, took me years, and a lot of arguments and even though I know that she still has things in side of her that she rather not mention to me. She would always tell me that the she doesn't want me to worry, but I worry anyways.

An attendant passes by.

"Excuse me," I say.

"Yes sir," the attendant says.

"Does this train have a observation deck," I ask.

"No sir," he says. "This is a commuter train. Only chairs and restroom facilities."

"Thank you," I say. "Oh and another question."

"Yes?" he says obviously annoyed.

"What is our arrival time into District Twelve," I ask.

He looks down to his watch and then looks up.

"In about two hours," he says.

Walking away I look back and see that a couple of the people around us have started to look at us. Guess that wasn't the smartest plan, to draw attention to us.

"Thank you," I hear her say. "For trying. I know what you were trying to do."

I smile at her. Turning to Katniss's mother and I see the tell tale signs of anxiety, the rubbing of the hands. The soft knocking of the knees, the subtle movement of her eyes from outside to inside, all these are signs that both of the women in my life are suffering.

"Tell me about Katniss when she was young?" I say turning to Katniss.

She immediately blushes and looks at her mother.

"You better not," she says smiling.

Katniss's mother for a moment smiles and even almost lets out a laugh. It was in that moment that her mind, wasn't thinking about the nightmares that she had to bury a long time ago, wasn't thinking about the husband that she loved and lost, the fact of almost losing her eldest daughter not once, not twice, but three times. For a moment she didn't have to think about burying her youngest daughter. For that split moment she thought of something happy, something that only Katniss and her shared.

"Maybe later," she says smiling. "When we have less people around."

I nod and finally I see the nervousness begin to lessen in her hands and the shaking also. Looking over to Katniss, I see the small glimmer of her former self. Her eyes remind me of the girl who beat every single older girl in that race, the one who always had a plan B, even when she didn't even know it.

"Welcome back," I say.

She smiles and lays her head on my shoulder. The sound around the train begins to go silent and I can feel that the train is beginning to slow down. People start to stand and I can see that the smiles as they begin to walk onto the platform.

It seems that most of the people who were coming to District Twelve were coming for the celebration tomorrow. A little girl passes by us, in a pink dress. She lets go of her mother's hand, walks over to Katniss and kisses her on her cheek. She whispers something in her ear and like that she walks away rejoining her mother as they walk off the train.

Katniss places her hand on her cheek right where the kiss was given and smiles.

"What was that about?" I say.

"Oh nothing," she says. "It seems her mother named her Primrose. She was just telling me thank you for giving her mother freedom."

I stand and help her up without making a showing of why I am doing so. There isn't that many people in the train and even the platform is empty. Takes a couple of seconds for Katniss's mother to walk off the train but as she does she takes in a deep breath with her eyes closed.

"Still smells like coal," she says as she walks out.

Katniss just shakes her head.

"Can't take her anywhere," says Katniss before walking after her mother. She stops her as it seems that Katniss's mother was headed in the direction of the Victor's Village.

"We don't live there," she says correctly her direction towards the Seam. "Well not officially."

I can see her mother's face give a small smile as she realizes where we are going. The sun is out and it is still the afternoon. Placing both my arms out, both her mother and Katniss each take a arm.

"It seems like a nice day to take a stroll through the woods wouldn't you say?" I say.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

The wind is no longer a cold unrelenting feeling. The cold no longer cause my bones to ache. The time of winter is coming to an end, and I believe that even the District knows that our hardships are coming to an end. Looking up, I can see the sunlight coming through the grey clouds and reminded on how even the sun is coming to welcome us back.

The houses look quiet from the outside but in the glimpses of the windows that the blinds are open you can see the people running around. The ending of winter is something that we celebrate here in District Twelve, well not officially, but every year it is almost as if by something deep inside of each of us. People celebrate because no one died in the winter time of injuries or even of hunger.

The road is no longer filled with the dirt snow combination that was there the last time that we were here. Now the road is more dirt and less snow. Some people are already walking on the road and looking up to the trees, to try and see the first birds. I doubt that they would be out this early, but people still get up early to try to be the first. The neighborhoods have grown into these small communities. Ever since the bombing, which many of the people that are here hardly even remember, the rebuilding has been almost like a tree growing into a forest. It takes time and goes through the different seasons the different trials and tribulations that we all face as well.

The memories though of the old District Twelve still echo, the houses that use to be there, that are now replaced by newer homes with different families. I wonder the people that survived the bombings; did they ever come back to the District? Or were the memories too much that they left to other areas of Panem, or probably they stayed in District Thirteen, to be taken care of. We thought of that once ourselves, but being underneath the ground was something that neither one of us could withstand. I couldn't go back to District Thirteen because it reminds me of the Detention Center and for Katniss because it reminds her of her father and the coal mines.

The end of the houses causes both a hesitation and jubilation from Katniss and her mother. The meadow is to our right and I can see the small park where the old tree that my father would show me as a kid. The small hole that is hidden by the bushes is just ahead of us and finally moving over the bush Katniss helps her mother out the hole in the fence. Once we are outside in the forest, it seems that the tightness in my chest has gone away.

In the forest surrounding District Twelve, we find the freedom that all of us were searching. I can still remember the days that I would spend just staring out into the forest. I always thought that the colors of the forest were much more alive when it was free. Even today, I still feel that way, the air is crisper and it is like Katniss comes alive. Looking over to Katniss's mother, I see the same thing, almost like she realizes where she is.

We walk quickly to the nearby hollow tree and finally find a second set of bow and arrows that we had hidden. Our primary bows gone in the edge of District Twelve coast line. We both notch an arrow and then finally Katniss takes point while I cover the rear. It is better this way, seeing how we would have to go at the pace that Katniss goes. The pregnancy has taken a toll on Katniss though, as I realize how much slower she walks. Before it was amazing how fast she would zip through the trees, almost like it was the wind running through.

We now have to stop every fifteen minutes and it is okay because it allows us to process all that we have to go through tomorrow. My main concern now is to get to the house and finally allow ourselves to be happy for a split second.

It does take us an hour of slowly walking in order to finally make it to the fence. There are no signs again of anyone coming or going. The snow is light and hard to the touch. The door finally opens and as we walk in, Katniss's mother looks in wonder of all that she sees.

"Welcome to our home," says Katniss to her mother.

The door clicks and finally Katniss looks at me.

"Finally," I say to her. "We are home."

Walking around the lake, it looks so peaceful there. The small little house looks so much like a dream. It seems like it is untouched by the world of Panem. It exists in our happiness, and in our dreams.

We make it to the porch and finally through the door. I walk over to the fireplace and grab the matches on the mantel. The wood that we had wrapped in the plastic is now allowed to keep dry. The warmth in the house is something that Katniss's mother just smiles at.

Finally she sits on the sofa and tells us to sit down.

"Okay," she says. "Now that we are here, let me ask you something."

Katniss looks at me and then at her mother.

"Your father brought you here?" she asks.

Katniss nods.

"Your dad, brought me here when we were dating," she says smiling. "It was a lot smaller though this house."

"Are you serious?" Katniss asks.

"It was only a few times, and I was shaking like a leaf," she says. "It was illegal you know coming out here. He didn't care; he wanted to show me something beautiful."

The very thought of a young couple coming out here to spend time in the lake makes me smile. This place means more to the Everdeen family than I had thought.

"It was the place that I knew," she says. "That I would love your father forever."

She wipes away the couple of tears that has already fallen.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she says.

"You are always welcomed here," I say.

She smiles and tells me that she feels at home as well. We finally get settled in and I can see that everything, life goes back to our definition of normalcy. It is all about staying in our own world, away from what is going on outside our own fence.

The day goes slowly and we find ourselves just laughing and telling stories of life before everything. Katniss's mother asks us about our own experiences here in this house. She laughs at the story of the second bench and of course tells me not to make a crib for the baby.

That night we sleep soundly. It is the first time in a couple of weeks that we have been able to sleep without nightmares, without anxiety. It seems that we even forgot what is happening tomorrow. Although the though does wake me up in the early morning. Sitting at the table grabbing a pen and paper, I just start to write to my little daughter, thoughts, and lullabies.

It is then that I am reminded of a promise I made yesterday. Quickly grabbing a pan and some flour, I start the oven and make some cheese buns for Katniss. Cracking a couple of eggs and shredding some cheddar, I make some omelets for breakfast and can hear the rustling behind me.

Turning around I see her there looking at me. Her eyes are sweet and her smile is almost as captivating as the first day I saw it. She stands there in an old t-shirt wrapped in the comforter that her mom gave us for our wedding present.

"Hey you know I was looking for that one," I say.

"This old thing?" she says smiling. "Didn't think you would mind."

"Of course I don't," I say. "What are you doing up?"

She smiles and does the sniffing motion.

"Oh you smelled the cheese buns," I ask.

She nods and covers herself more closely with the comforter almost as if she is a little chilly. I place a cheese bun on a plate and hand it to her. She smiles and sticks out her hand to grab the plate. Placing the plate on the table she sits down and takes a bite.

"Hmm, still warm," she says.

I place a plate of eggs, and a cup of hot coco. She smiles and tells me that I am the only one that understands her. Sitting next to her, I can see that the thoughts of today has already begun to weigh on her mind.

"Feeling better?" I ask.

"Honestly," she says. "I just want it to be over."

Holding onto her hand I know what she means. It is something that we had both been trying to avoid. Soon in a couple of hours we would have to be in the Justice Building there to be welcomed back into a place, back into the arms of the Capitol, that we wish would forget us.

"Soon," I say. "But we have to get you ready though."

She smiles.

"You mean I can't go like this?" she says showing off the t-shirt with the holes in it.

"Hmmm," I say. "I don't know."

"I think she looks beautiful," we both hear coming from the living room. As we turn we see Katniss's mother with a long large coat.

"As long as she has this on," she says handing it to her.

She removes the comforter and slips on the coat. The coat is very fashionable for its time and although I cannot put my finger on it, it does do something else.

"See now you don't have to worry," says Katniss's mother. "This coat makes extra passengers disappear."

Katniss walks over to the mirror and see that the coat and the way it was made, does achieve the illusion.

"Come," she says to Katniss. "Let's get you ready."

They walk away to the nursery where Katniss's mother slept last night. After a couple of minutes I seeWe get ready and finally as we are getting ready to leave the front door, we see that Katniss's mother is not coming.

"I will wait for you two back here," she says.

"You sure," asks Katniss.

"Yes," she says looking over to me. "Now you bring them both back here right after."

She smile and we embrace. It is the same thing that she says to me every time we have to go out. The door opens and makes a long creaky sound. It seems like the winter months has given enough moisture to the door to cause it to let out its groans.

With bows in hand we make our way east towards an uncharted area of the woods that we hardly go through. No doubt that it would have been easier to go through the Seam and then through the Square, but a couple years ago we found another entry way through the back of the Square. It is a little bit more dangerous as we have to walk alongside the tracks and well the trains do not stop if you are crossing.

We stop a couple of times to let Katniss catch her breath. The vibrations of the train allow us to safely pass near the trains and finally make it to the hole in the fence near the Square. There are many people and we can hear the crowds in the Square as they all gather near the Justice Building.

Walking quickly towards the rear of the Justice Building, we are approached by Peacemakers.

"Stop right there, you are in a restricted area," one peacemaker says.

Removing the hood and glasses, they both look at us.

"We are the reason why there are here," says Katniss.

They ask us very nicely to come with them to verify. Although I am sure that if we do anything out of character the restraints that I see on their belts will be our new jewelry.

They escort us through the doors and finally into the lobby of the Justice building where they are many people waiting. In the distance I can hear someone speaking on an amplified microphone. There are people running around and it seems they are looking for someone. As we walk by, you can see some of the people stop and start to whisper, others give us a thumbs up.

"Excuse us," one of the peacekeepers says. "We found these two outside; they say that they are the reason why we are here."

The man at the front of the door finally turns around and there in a blue suit that just screams Capitol, stands Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Please do you not watch television or have you been under a roc for the last twenty years?" he says with a smile. "Do you not know who these two are?"

They look at us with a sort of shock look.

"These are my two stars," he says approaching us. Something about this angers me to a point where I feel my hands ball up into a fist.

"No," Katniss whispers in my ear. "You have to remain calm."

The head gamemaker comes over like we are family, like we are friends, he holds us in his arm. The whole time all I can think of is I wish I had a knife to stab him in the ribs. This is the man who created it all, everything from the botch escape from the arena, to having a hand in the death of Prim. He has always denied it, and the investigation yielded no evidence that he was involved but something about him that I had never liked.

He could be the reason, the person who fabricated all these lies about the Fundamentalists that caused us to chase them down. I wouldn't put it pass him, and I would never trust him. I can feel my heart beat quicken and even feel my breathing shallow. The beeping begins and Katniss has to remove him from us.

"So sorry," she says. "Peeta never did like embraces. After the whole Detention Center."

"Oh he still isn't over that?" he says with a humor in his voice.

"Over it?" I say with a stern voice. "Over it?"

Katniss holds my hand.

"No," she says to Plutarch. "But we are making progress."

She turns around to me.

"Please just a little bit longer," she says.

"Okay," I say.

Taking a couple of deep breathes finally I can feel my heart beat lessen and my breathing deepen.

"So Peeta," he starts. "Are you ready?"

I don't respond and just walk towards the door and finally push the doors open. The sunlight just hits us like a bright light and all I can hear is the crowd beginning to cheer.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

The podium stands there waiting for the person to address the crowd. Walking towards it I can hear the murmuring and the hands pointing towards us. Some look in wonder, while others look at us as if they have seen a ghost. I feel her hand in mine. Turning towards her I look at her and can see the fear in her eyes. I lean in and let her catch up to me.

"Don't let me go of me, I might fall out of this thing," I say.

She smiles and tightens her grip. It was the first time that I knew I had fallen for her completely. The smoothness of her hands are still what I feel even to this day. The microphone gives a small feedback as I open my mouth to speak.

"Thank you all for coming. There is much to celebrate and much to contemplate. I see the faces of our great District and speak to you not as a soldier, not as a victor, or a rebel fighter. No, I do not speak to you as any of those things, because it was not what makes me, well me. I speak to you today as a son of baker that spent every day making bread. Just like most of you here, we all come from humble beginnings and we do not think anything of it.

A great man once told us that the sun cannot change the time it comes out, even if the world isn't ready for it. This at first actually caused us to laugh because we couldn't understand it. That is I couldn't understand it until I look out and see everyone here that I realize what he meant. There was a time where I all I could remember was the oppression that we had in all of our Districts. That was our lives, it is all that we knew, and though deep inside each of us was a yearning to be free; we simply learned to accept it. Learn to accept what we were told.

What we did many years ago was never to incite a change, but it was simply to keep ourselves alive. Something changed in us, and it wasn't that we were trying to change the world, but I realized that it was inside of us all the time. That is why we have done the things that we have done. It wasn't to find a terrorist, because there was a time that I was considered one, when she was considered one, a enemy of the state. It wasn't to incite anything; for as I see here our lives now, and have come to terms that we cannot change what we will do, because it is already in us, who we are. As a husband I understand what it is like to fight for your family, finally understand why my father was a baker, that was the only reason why we did what we did and what will continue to do to make sure that our family continues to be free. Thank you."

Turning from the podium, we walk back through the door of the Justice Building. The party awaiting us tells us that we must stay for the remaining of the festivities.

"Tell the Gamemaker, that we are through playing for the cameras," I say. "We have done what we were asked and nothing more."

Walking by, all I can feel is the pain of the everyone that has fallen because of the Capitol, because of the Gamemaker. They have fought and died for an idea, of freedom, and yet at the end of it all, it seems that the idea of the Capitol was much too great, much too enticing to give up. They have forgotten what it was like to live for each other, and to protect one another. Our district has always survived because we took care of each other. It was not something that the Capitol simply let us have; it was much more than that.

Finally getting to the room at the end of the hall, I close the door and there Katniss finally lets out a sigh, a breath of relieve.

"Did I do anything, say anything that would get us in trouble," I say grabbing her hand. "Was it okay?"

She kisses me on my cheek, and smiles.

"I tried," I say to her. "I wanted to be not a hero."

"You did good," she says finally calming my fear. "The only thing he can do is come out every day."

It was the last thing that I forgot to say to the crowd.

"You cannot change who you are," she says. "Everything that is good, and everything that I fell in love with, is who you are, and I wouldn't change it for anything."

"They will come for us," I say. "What I said, is not what they wanted to hear."

"If they come, let them," she says.

I place my hand on her stomach.

"What about her?" I say. "I failed her."

She grabs my hand.

"No," she says. "I would rather her know her father the way I do, than to meet a stranger in front of a camera."

The knock on the door echoes through the room. No doubt it will be the peacekeepers to take us to the stocks for saying things that could incite a rebellion against the current government. I grab the dagger that I had hidden in my belt.

She holds my hand.

"No," she says.

The door finally opens and there comes in the lone other Victor of District Twelve. He looks like he had been drinking all night and all this morning. His hair long and in a pony tail, his clothes oddly are pressed and in good condition.

"Come on," he says. "It is time for you two to get home."

We look to each other and then to Haymitch.

"What about, what I just said," I say.

"Oh that," he says. "You could have learned a little bit more tack than that, but in the end the Gamemaker knows as well as all the other officials know, that you two always had the will of the people. They cannot do anything without inciting another rebellion. It would have been better if they didn't announce you had lived."

"Whose idea was it then," I say. "This couldn't have been theirs."

He lifts his shoulders.

"Last I heard the idea was leaked from some house on the outskirts of the Capitol," he says. "Do you know anyone who lives out that way?"

Katniss smiles and we both know that in the end President Paylor, had protected our very lives. It seems that she gave the one thing that we had been looking for. She had given us the one thing that we had been fighting for, the chance to live.

We walk back into the hallway and quickly out the back door. There is no one in the back, as it seems that the peacekeepers are on a break.

"Wonder where the two that were back here went," I say.

"Oh you mean those two?" he says pointing towards the two obviously incapacitated peacekeepers just lying against the walls. "I found them like that."

Katniss gives him a smirk.

"What," he says. "I did."

We go through the hole in the fence and Haymitch bids us farewell.

"Do me a favor," he says as we go through the hole.

"What's that," says Katniss.

"Do not come back to the District for a little bit," he says.

"I think we can manage that," I say as we both turn and quickly disappear in the woods of the District.

As we walk through the woods, I see the sunlight trickle though the leaves and the branches. I see the birds as they perch on the branches of the trees. There is a quickly step in our walk and we both know the reason why. The clearing near the train tracks, she stops and as she turns I see the big smile on her face.

I grab her and we just turn around there in the clearing of the woods.

"Is it over," she asks. "Can it be really over?"

"Yes," I say. "It could be."

She lets out a laugh finally, not caring who is hearing and who could be around.

"You know there are wild animals around," I say. "Laughing is not a good thing to be doing."

"I don't care," she shouts. "I don't care."

We hold each other in the one place where we are free. Sure this feeling is just for a moment, and anything can happen but if it holds and we are truly left alone, then it would be as the greatest gift that we are given.

Katniss's mother cannot even begin to understand what happened but is truly happy to find that we had returned. She had been cooking the food that we had in the fridge and was waiting for us to get home in order to eat.

"I didn't know what time you would be back so I made sure to keep the fire burning low," she says.

"Thank you so much for all your help," I say.

"We are family," she says.

I watch as Katniss sits very tiredly on the sofa. It seems that although she is happy, the baby is taking her toll on Katniss.

"I have a favor to ask," I say to Katniss's mother. She looks at me as I lead her to the kitchen. It is something that I do not want Katniss to overhear. It is something that I wish to ask her as a favor to me. She sits down on the chair that I pull out and there I sit next to her.

"I will be the first to admit that although I am happy of how things went," I say rubbing my hands, trying to hide the nervousness of what I have to admit.

"It isn't easy to admit, but honestly, I do not know what to do," I say. "I wanted to ask you to stay with us here at least until Lilly is born. I don't know if Katniss can make it in her condition back to the train station and then District Four."

She looks around and I know that the question is something that weighs on her mind. It would mean to spend the next four months or so here in District Twelve.

"It would be easier on us both if you could stay," I say.

She finally thinks about it and then nods yes. I lift my eyes and see her there standing on the doorway of living room hearing what I was asking. She smiles and then walks in.

"Is lunch ready," she ask.

"Yes," Katniss's mother says. "Oh and I have wonderful news. I have decided to stay here since you cannot travel any longer and I say this as your doctor and your mother."

"Oh," she says. "What do you think Peeta, can we prepare the room for her?"

"Of course I say," standing up and going into the nursery and getting everything prepped for her mother.

That day we spent it enjoying each other as a family. Time stood still in our own little world of Panem. Hours became days and when you see a couple of weeks had passed and we had finally got into a rhythm of things. A couple of weeks and I would travel into the District and spend time with Delly. She would go into the market for us and grab any materials or food that we needed.

She would ask me about Katniss and of course I would tell her that she is getting bigger by the day. With Katniss just walking around in the house, I would spend time with her and our family book. She would knit and I would paint, as it got closer to the time of birth.

There was a time that I had to get Delly to get me medical supplies from the nearby apothecary. Delly always knew how to make up stories of friends here and there that were expecting and needed the assistance of medicine for the birth to be more bearable for the mother and child.

"You really do need someone to assist in the birthing," says Delly. "Can you believe that is what they told me? That reminds me, Peeta, who is helping Katniss through it all?"

"Who do you think?" I say.

She smiles and I tell her that soon, she will be an Aunt and that her responsibilities will be more.

"I can't wait," she says smiling.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

The soft sheets, I feel through my arms. It is the feeling I have that morning in the spring. It was in the morning when I heard it. My eyes opened just a little bit to see that Katniss was standing facing the window. Her hand was softly rubbing her stomach. I can barely hear a humming of some song that she is singing. It was the best memory I could try to hold onto. That is my idea of a mother who loves her child.

My eyes fixed on her lips and I cannot believe that this wonderful woman married me. Not only did she marry me, but she actually is carrying my child. What could I have done to deserve this sort of happiness, I wonder.

She turns and sees me there just looking at her.

"Good morning," she says.

"It is, isn't it," I say.

She walks over to me and slowly sits next to me on the edge of the bed. I place my hand on her stomach and can feel the warmth of her skin. Just as it is on cue, I feel the movement inside.

"She is restless," Katniss says. "Couldn't sleep at all last night."

"I think we are all restless," I say. "Your mother says that any day she will come."

She looks away and I can tell that something is wrong. After all these years I can tell when something is bothering her. She tends to just try to not look me in the eyes. We had a pack that no matter what, no matter what we were feeling or thinking, if it was selfish or not, that we would be honest with each other. It was the only way to live our lives because of all of the lies and manipulations of the Capitol and the Games.

"What are you thinking?" I ask.

She turns back and after a couple of seconds.

"Been having this nightmare, where we couldn't protect Lilly," she says. She is angry at herself for allowing her dreams to become about that. Her hand that was once open is now in a ball fist trying to control her emotions.

"It is okay," I say holding her.

"No it isn't," she says.

"Well years back, when I was in the Detention Center," I started to say. "I had a nightmare like that, where our child died and I wasn't there to protect you."

Her hand softens and I see it meet my cheek.

"Thinking about children back then?" she says. "We weren't even married."

My face turns hot and I know that if I were to look in a mirror I would see a hot red face. It is something that I had never admitted to anyone else. The nightmare of seeing Lilly being shot by the Capitol, and me powerless to change it.

"Well it was the only way from losing you," I say. "To imagine a life with you, pass the pain and pass the lost. The nightmares though out weighed the dreams."

I lean over to her and kiss her cheek slowly.

"It was the only way," I say. "By the time I was rescued I didn't know if I was mad or just living in another world. I guess looking back, it was the only way to hide those memories that I consider so precious."

"Like what," she says curiously.

"Well the memory of this place," I say. "The way you described it that day up on the roof of the training center. It was one of my favorite memories. I think still is."

"Mines too," she says.

I swing my foot over and Katniss hands me my artificial leg. It is a constant reminder that if I allowed them, they would take everything away from me. Slipping it onto my knee, I stand and position myself sturdy before turning around and extending my hand to her.

She grabs onto my hand and there as I pull her up she doesn't let go. We spend the next couple of seconds there just staring at each other.

"What did I do to deserve you?" I say finally.

She blushes and then pulls me into the living room. There in the spring time music of the birds the windows are all opened and the cool breeze come through our house. I see that Katniss's mother is there looking over some paper work and finally she looks up.

"Good morning, kids," she says. "I think that it could be in a couple days."

"Mom, you have been saying that for weeks now," she says. "When exactly could it be?"

"It is a process Katniss," she says. "Your body will let you know. How have you been sleeping?"

"I haven't," she responds with a half smile. "Here and there, ten minutes here, until Lilly moves and then I have to wake up."

She grabs her stethoscope and her pressure cup. After taking her blood pressure and hearing her breathing, so looks at me and her.

"Her blood pressure is up," she says. "Probably a little fresh air will help?"

"Sounds like a good idea," she says to her mother. "Peeta, take me for a walk outside."

The way her voice sounds and I know that she is a little bit anxious with her mother. It is a lot to take in, having your mother there day in and day out, especially with you not being able to get out and hunt.

Walking outside I hold her hand and I know that she just needs to relax and take it easy. Finally we walk for a couple of minutes before she looks down to her stomach.

"You better come out soon or I am going to kill your grandmother," she says laughing.

I let out a laugh and she shoots me stare.

"You are the one who invited her to stay," she says. "So I wouldn't be laughing if I was you."

"Hey," I say. "What is better, District Four stuck in her house, or our house in the woods? I thought that being in your own room, in your own house would be better than in your mother's house."

She looks at me frustrating, knowing full well that I am right.

"Do you always have to be right?" she says angry.

Grabbing her hand, trying to understand her.

"Hey, hey, hey," I say. "Where is this coming from?"

"I am sorry, but you do not know what it is like, being tired all the time because I cannot sleep. Cannot eat without it coming up immediately, even though my mother gives me this disgusting drink with herbs," she says turning around and pacing. "I am cranky, and I am emotional and and and…."

She looks down.

"Great," she says. "Now I am wet, that is all I needed."

My eyes open wide as she looks at me.

"Katniss," I say.

Her eyes open and then she knows what is coming.

"Mom," she yells out.

Katniss's mother runs out to the porch. She looks us from a distance with a towel in her hands drying them.

"It's time," I yell at her.

She immediately goes into the house and from what I can imagine she is getting everything prepared. Katniss's hand reaches for mines and I immediately grab it.

"Think you can make it back to the house?" I ask.

She nods and begins to walk slowly back to the house. We go as slow as she can, making every effort to control her breathing. Just as we get to the steps of the porch she stops and squeezes my hand so hard that I feel my blood disappear from my hand. A thousand needles poke at my skin throughout my arm. Looking over to her I see her eyes are closed and mouth is clenched.

After a couple of seconds she lets out a breath of relief and then I could see the formations of sweat on her brow.

"You okay," I say.

"Just a contraction," she says in between breathes.

Walking in with her, Katniss's mother tells me to get her to the nursery that everything is prepped.

"Couple more steps," I say. "You are doing great."

She walks slowly and then through the hallway when finally we get her to the prep place.

"Peeta, go and get some clean towels and warm some water to keep our hands clean and sterile," she says.

"Ours?" I say with a surprised look as I walk to the linen closet and grab the cleanest towels I can. Handing them to her mother, I warm the water in the kitchen. In the distance of the nursery I can hear Katniss let out a cry of anguish pain and looking at the clock, I can say that it is only a couple of minutes in between.

In the room I see Katniss breathing deeply and Katniss's mother injecting her with something.

"This is for the pain," she says. "Now you are going to feel a little bit of pressure in your lower back and I want you fight the urge to push. Think you can do that for me?"

"Why are we waiting," Katniss grunts out.

"She isn't in position," she says. "We cannot risk the baby coming out feet first with the cord wrapped around her neck."

She hands me a small hand towel that she had moistened with the warm water.

"Keep her calm," she says.

Walking over to her she is looking at me through the breathing. Grabbing her hand, I can feel the need to push and leaning over to her ear I whisper.

"Close your eyes," I say.

She does it, and I can hear the breathing quicken.

"Remember that time that we were in garden of the Mayor's house," I say. "The stars were out, the moon was full, and we had just gotten married?"

Looking at her nod, I can tell that she remembers.

"Well that night, the cool air whispers through your hair, and for a minute I could have sworn that it was all a dream," I say. "That is why I pinched you."

She smiles and I can feel her breathing slow a little bit.

"Good," says Katniss's mother. "Lilly is almost in position."

The gripping of her hand is strong and causes me to remind myself that the pain must be extreme.

"Remember, the fireflies that we saw," I say.

"Yes," she says letting out a sigh of relief after the contraction passes.

"Okay, Peeta, Katniss," says Katniss's mother. "I think it is time for you to push. So next contraction, I need you to push through it okay?"

Grabbing the towel whipping the sweat offer her brow, I kiss the tip of her nose.

"You are doing great," I say. "I love you so much."

"I feel it coming," Katniss says bracing herself.

"Okay, you ready to push," I say.

She nods and finally as it starts, she begins to push.

"Okay I can see the head," she yells out. "Need you to push again."

"I can't," she says. "I can't."

I lean in.

"You can," I say. "I know you can."

She bears down again and pushes again.

"Almost out," she says. "Shoulders, hips, legs and we have ourselves a beautiful baby girl."

The crying is almost instantly as our smiles. She is here. My beautiful baby girl is here. There a wave of emotions that flood my heart that I cannot even begin to describe it. I kiss her hand and all I could say is thank you over and over and over again.

I see Katniss's mother holding her in her arms in a clean blue towel. She is checking her breathing and her heart beat, while she is crying and smiling, saying hello over and over again.

She walks over to Katniss and hands the Lilly to her. The blue eyes are amazing, so deep and intense; it is almost as piercing as her mothers.

"I can see the ocean in her eyes," I say.

"She is beautiful," I hear Katniss whisper to me. Looking at her, she smiles at me and mouths, that she loves me.

I feel something though that I couldn't even begin to imagine, I feel something grab onto my finger and looking down I see her hand grabbing my finger. My little girl is holding my finger.


	28. Chapter 28

Her fingers are so small. They hold onto my one finger so tightly. I can still remember the day you were born, the way your hand grabs onto mine. Every night that we spend here in your nursery I think about you. You are so small, how can you love someone that is so small.

"Your mother really loves you," I say through the humming. The rocking back and forth calms her, but just like both her mother and father, just putting her on my chest and she falls asleep.

Every night I check her heart beat, and every time, it is as steady as a rock. So many times, we would spend just talking in the night, well me talking her listening, her eyes fixed on mine. She typically doesn't last that long, only a couple of minutes but I talk to her anyways.

It was a great night when I heard you say your first words. Although your mom says that it was just noise I still believe that you said mama that day. Now you can talk and even write.

"Daddy," Lilly says as I put her in her bed.

"Yes beautiful," I say.

"Did you always love mama?" she asks.

"Ever since I was five," I say. "I knew that I would love your mom forever."

Placing her covers on her I tuck her into the bed. I feel her hand on my shoulder. I place my hand onto top of hers and she just looks at me.

"Now go to sleep, sleepyhead," says Katniss to Lilly. "Dream of dreams that we could only think of, of chasing butterflies in the field. You remember that?"

"Yes," Lilly says remembering the day that we just had. A picnic outside, pointing out the clouds and imagining what they are. Then of course we chased butterflies for a while, until I tickled Katniss to the ground. Lilly of course decided that it was time to tickle me off her mother. She is very protective of her. Think she gets that from her father.

"Mama," she says.

"Yes, princess," she responds.

"Sing me a song," she says.

She turns to me and I sit down on the chair.

"She will ask for a story next," she says. "Just you wait, all to get a later curfew."

Turning to Lilly. "Don't think I didn't try this with your grandmother when I was younger."

"Did Grandma sing?" she repeats almost letting out a laugh. "No, your grandmother couldn't sing, I mean she could but I don't think music was supposed to come out like that. Your grandfather was the one who sang, and your grandmother was the story teller."

She sits up.

"What did grandmother tell you about?" Lilly asks.

"Well life out there, out in the forest," Katniss says. "Me and your aunt Prim never really believed that your grandmother was ever in the forest. Turns out that's where she fell in love with your grandfather."

"So mama, a song?" asks Lilly.

"Go to sleep, sleepyhead,

Go to sleep, go to bed,

Close your eyes, rest your head

And tomorrow morning you will get…"

She stops almost unsure of what the next line should be. So she looks to me for a little bit of help.

"At least three, cheese breads," I finish with a smile.

She closes her eyes and finally Katniss kisses her nose. She smiles and giggles the same way her mother does. We walk out of the room and finally close the door. In the hallway we see how live has changed these past four years.

I bend down to pick up the toys that are now littered the hallways. Walking over to the toy chest, I place them in there. The easel is still in the living room, mines next to Lilly's. Although my painting of the flowers in the vase is more exact, Katniss grabs her daughter's version with the purple and pink flowers.

"Looks like it could hang in a gallery," I say.

"But they will not get it," says Katniss placing it back on the easel.

"Come with me," she says leading me outside to the porch. I grad the nearby blanket and walk outside to the porch. The night sky is beautiful and filled with stars that glow in the dark. We sit in the bench that oddly enough continues to stand, the other bench, not so much.

Sitting down I place the blanket over her and she smiles. She removes from her pocket three small folded up papers. Opening them, I see that the papers are not papers but folded up envelopes.

I see the handwriting and remember what they were. The three letters I wrote before we went into the arena. The goodbye letters that I never meant to give, but always wanted to be prepared.

"Katniss," I start.

"Peeta," she stops me. "I opened them; well Lilly actually found them and opened hers. She asked me to read it to her. Peeta, what you wrote…"

"I am sorry," I say.

"No," she says. "It was beautiful. It was not at all what I was expecting."

Her hands rub on the envelope.

"Did you," I start. "Read yours?"

She nods.

"Took me a while," she says.

She lifts up the one labeled to Thomas.

"Be a shame if we never opened this one," she says smiling. "Think in a couple of months I think we can."

Looking at her, I am puzzled by what she just said. In a couple of months? Read the letter labeled to Thomas? That is when she grabs my hand and places it on her stomach.

"You mean?" I say.

She nods. "My mother told me today about the test results."

I hold her and I can't help but to let out a laugh. It is the greatest thing that I could ever get from the one that I had always wanted.

"You have given me so much happiness," I say. "What did I ever do, to deserve it?"

"You saved me," she says. "Thank you for saving me."

_Dear daddy,_

_I just wanted to say. I love you. I am so happy that I start school tomorrow and I don't know why you and mama were crying. I really like the dress that mama said was hers back when she was my age. Mama said that you would like my hair in these two tails. It is very pretty the way Mama did them. _

_You sure I cannot take Thomas with me to school? Mama told me that Thomas was too little to go to school. I cannot wait to go to school. _

_I love you daddy, _

_Lili_

EPILOGUE

Looking at the paintings that litter the hallways of our house, it makes me smile. Katniss continues to put them up, even when Thomas just doodles something small. She says that everything that her children do she wants everyone to see.

The three bows that are near the door two large ones and one small one, it makes me smile. I can still remember that day when Katniss took her out to hunt for the first time. She was so scared and so happy to be out there with her mama.

We have been taking both of them more and more to the District. It was a decision that both of us did when Thomas was two. We wanted them to know where we were brought up.

We lay there on blanket with the picnic basket a couple of feet away.

"Funny," she says to me.

"What is?" I say.

"They run through the fields that Prim would have," she says. "Many of them are buried underneath, a graveyard."

"Time changes all things," I tell her.

"I guess," she says.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She looks up to the sky.

"Soon enough they will start to ask questions," she says. "About the Games, about the War, they will know what we did. We have protected them from the world, but now we cannot hold from it."

"My father one day asked me what I saw when I looked at him," I say. "I told him that I see my papa. He told me that people that do not matter will always label you by what you did in life. They will say that we were Victors in the Hunger Games, that we killed many people. That we were soldiers in the Great War, and that we did a lot of horrible things. But you know if we were to ask them who we were, you know what they would say."

"What is that?" she says turning to me.

"They will say the same thing that I did, you are their mama, and I am their daddy, and they love us very much," I say. "That is all that really matters. We have each other, we have the stories of our family members, we have our letters to them."

She looks up again at the clouds.

"This is how I pictured it," she says to me.

"Picture what?" I ask.

"What it would be like to be with you," she says.

I lay next to her.

"Are you happy?" I ask.

She pauses as if to try and find the right thing to say.

"I wish," she starts. "That I could freeze this moment."

I smile.

"And live in it forever?" I end the statement.

I feel her hand grab mines and there in the fields of the Meadow, while we hear the laughter of our children, we just look at the clouds trying to make up what it looks like.

END OF BOOK SIX

Thank you to all who have journey with me through the life of Peeta. Writing this has allowed me to experience his life through my eyes, and I hope that I was able to show you that through the writings.

As always thank you.

**E**very **W**ounded **S**on


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